Public Administration Ethics
In thinking about ethics in public administration, Marini's (1992) analysis of Sophocles' Antigone helps to give some insight into and frame the ethical dilemmas likely to be encountered in public administration, but seen through the lens of characters like King Creon, who must uphold the law despite personal conflicts. It is an interesting approach to thinking about ethics because the play is an ancient one, yet using it as a springboard helps one to realize that ethics transcend time and space and touch on something higher. The ancient text of Antigone helps one to reflect a bit on what modern public administrators can do when it comes to decision-making. The ethical challenges in public administration are also touched upon by the government-wide ethics laws (18 U.S.C. 201-209), which impose strict regulations to prevent conflicts of interest, bribery, impartiality issues, etc., among federal employees (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2023).
The real-world case of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) scandal is one example. In that case, systemic failures led to delayed care and deaths of veterans, and it shows where and when and how the basic ethical principles touched upon by Marini (1992) were lost. The VHA administrators had...
…the importance of integrity, accountability, and
servant leadership in public administration, by looking at Proverbs 11:3, which states, "The
integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity." Obviously, there is a biblical call for ethical conduct. The covenantal model calls for leaders to prioritize the
common good and uphold ethical standards, and this once more echoes the
argument of Marini (1992) and the government-wide ethics laws.
All in all, Marini's reflection on Antigone and the ethical frameworks provided by U.S. laws and biblical teachings show a need for ethical conduct in public administration. The VHA scandal…
