Skip to main content

Professional Ethics

  • Living reference work entry
  • Latest version View entry history
  • First Online:
  • 97 Accesses

Synonyms

Ethical behavior; Ethical decision making; Moral awareness; Moral judgment; Moral reasoning

Definition

Professional ethics in public administration involves behavior that is based on beliefs. The values and principles expressed in behavior constitute professional ethics, while beliefs about “life, humanity, and nature” are the morals informing the behavior (Menzel 2017, p. 24). Professional ethics is about the professional as a moral agent; however, understanding ethical behavior requires a broader examination to include external influences. Public administration is about serving the public, and professional ethics is about doing so with integrity.

Introduction

Professional ethics is about the behavior and decision-making of public servants. An essential prerequisite for effective public service is public trust. This trust is influenced in large measure by the people’s perception of public servants. Moreover, understanding and possessing ethical competence are vital to...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  • Frederickson HG (1990) Public administration and social equity. Public Adm Rev 50:228–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kearns K (2016) NLCU: values based leadership and public accountability. PowerPoint, City Summit: National League of Cities, 16 Nov 2016

    Google Scholar 

  • Menzel DC (2017) Ethics management for public and nonprofit managers: leading and building organizations of integrity, 3rd edn. Routledge, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Plant JF (2015) Seventy-five years of professionalization. In: Guy ME, Rubin MM (eds) Public administration evolving: from foundations to the future. Rutledge, New York, pp 232–253

    Google Scholar 

  • Svara JH (2015) From ethical expectations to professional standards. In: Guy ME, Rubin MM (eds) Public administration evolving: from foundations to the future. Rutledge, New York, pp 257–274

    Google Scholar 

  • Trevino LK, Weaver GR, Reynolds SJ (2006) Behavioral ethics in organizations: a review. J Manag 32:951–990

    Google Scholar 

  • Velasquez M, Moberg D, Meyer JM, Shanks T, McLean JR, DeCosse D, Andre C, Hanson KO (2009) A framework for thinking ethically, Santa Clara University. http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/framework.html. Accessed 6 Mar 2012

  • Wilson W (1887) The study of administration. Polit Sci Q 2(2):197–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David A. Bell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Bell, D.A. (2017). Professional Ethics. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_899-2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_899-2

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Professional Ethics
    Published:
    09 February 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_899-2

  2. Original

    Professional Ethics
    Published:
    16 December 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_899-1