CHAPTER
5
Honor, Ethics, and
Accountability
I. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading Chapter 5 in the textbook, the student should be able to:
2. Explain the history of government corruption and illegal
activities—and compare how different levels of government
protect whistleblowing for public employees.
pp. 195–199;
206–209
3. Define and describe the importance of accountability in
pp. 210–217
II. SUGGESTED LECTURE
A. Honor
Honor comes before ethics because a person without honor has no moral compass
about what is good and bad. Honor is a particularly apt choice for emphasis in a
text of public administration because, from ancient times, to be trusted with the
B. Corruption in Government
1. Bribery—the pervasiveness of bribery in public administration is something
that cannot be contested. When the ethical base of an agency is low, brib-
59
II. Suggested Lecture
2. The Watergate scandal that drove Richard Nixon out of the office of presi-
dent exemplified a violation of public trust. It has become an enduring exam-
ple of corruption at the highest levels of government in America and resulted
in calls for ethical reform in government.
C. Ethical Issues in Public Administration
“Lies Big and Little”. Adolph Hitler and Joseph McCarthy are two of the most
prominent examples of big liars who have hurt society as a whole, but on a smaller
scale lying is common in government. It takes many forms, from outright lies to
D. Hierarchy of Ethics
We can identify four levels of ethics in public administration.
First, the realm of personal morality in which individuals have a basic sense
E. Codes of Honor, Conduct, and Ethics
Codes of honor have their origins in ancient precepts about how individuals should
behave when faced with danger or difficult choices. Many of the important precepts
F. Administrative Accountability
Public administrators in democracy work within the rule of law. The system of
60 Honor, Ethics, and Accountability
CHAPTER 5
G. Whistle Blowing
Whistle blowing has received special attention over the past 15 years—with
federal laws being strengthened to protect whistle blowers from retaliation and
H. Administrative Accountability
Administrators are constrained by constitutional and legal rules, and must balance
legitimate need for accountability with a tendency to “obsess” with creating proce-
III. ASSESSMENTS
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Which of the following is not included in the four levels of ethics?
a. Personal morality and professional ethics.
b. Political values and corporate social responsibility.
c. Organizational codes of conduct
d. Global ethics.
p. 200, b
2. The “dirty hands dilemma” occurs:
a. when a public official takes a bribe.
b. when public administrators blame superiors for their own misdeeds.
c. when officials blame their subordinates for acts of malfeasance.
d. when public administrators perform a wrong act to further the public good.
p. 197, d
3. According to the authors, a sense of honor provides an individual with
what?
4. The statement that “it is necessary for him who lays out a state and arranges
laws for it to presuppose that all men are evil and that they are always going
to act according to the wickedness of their spirits whenever they have free
scope,” is attributed to whom?
a. Richard Nixon.
b. Niccolò Machiavelli.
61
III. Assessments
c. Saddam Hussein.
d. Adolf Hitler.
p. 189, b
5. The higher law defense is often appealed to by people who:
a. wish to attack an existing law or practice.
6. Organizational theorist, Peter Drucker noted that:
a. aome of the high costs of bureaucracy represent the cost of monitoring
accountability.
b. government and private organizations are essentially the same.
c. a. and b.
d. neither a. nor b.
p. 213, a
7. It can be argued that public officials in a democracy may be excused at times
from the obligation of truth telling. When a high public official feels it neces-
sary to not tell the truth, then this is an example of:
a. a royal lie.
b. a gross exaggeration.
c. a white lie.
d. a dirty-hands dilemma.
p. 198, a
8. Which of the following is a reason that public administrators should under–
stand the Constitution according to David H. Rosenbloom?
9. Which of the followings are means through which Congress maintains over–
sight over public administration?
a. Hearings.
b. Casework.
c. Whistleblowing.
d. Both a. and b.
pp. 215–216, d
62 Honor, Ethics, and Accountability
CHAPTER 5
10. The study of the writings of Niccolo Machiavelli is important for
understanding:
a. that the Prince must do all he can, even if morally wrong, to maintain the
public welfare.
b. the role of power in public policy decision making.
c. the complexities and dilemmas in public office.
d. all of the above.
pp. 187–189, d
11. Lt. Colonel Oliver North’s role in the Iran-Contra Affair serves to illustrate:
a. the problems of conflicts in responsibilities.
12. Administrative accountability, according to Fredrich and Finer, provides an
example of the tension between:
a. the need for internal organization controls on individual behavior, and
the need for external controls on individual behavior.
b. rule of law.
c. a. and b.
d. neither a. nor b.
p. 210, c
Chapter 5 Student Self Assessment Questions
Q1 What does the term “Machiavellianism” mean?
Q2 Why was George Washington considered a genuine Cincinnatus
figure?
Q3 John Rohr’s work on regime values was a critical link in establishing
moral obligations and integrity as to public administration. What was his
book that made this case?
Q4 Why was Winston Churchill viewed historically as an honorable leader of
England?
1998?
Q12 A law banning late-term abortions is an example of what level of ethics?
63
IIV. Activities
Q13 Why is the “Nuremberg defense” considered indefensible?
Q14 Which two levels of ethics did Oliver North violate?
Q15 Which of the following is true of a code of ethics?
Q16 What is the difference between standards of conduct and codes of ethics?
Q17 Which of the following is an example of the type of administrative
behavior delineated by Herman Finer?
Q18 According to the text, David Rosenbloom makes what statement regarding
public administrators?
IV. ACTIVITIES
Individual Exercise
Read the following two articles describing recent developments in the Flint Mich-
igan Water Crises.
repeated and that ethical and professional standards are in place?
FLINT WATER CRISIS YIELDS FIRST
CRIMINAL CHARGES
By Monica Davey and Richard Pérez-Peña, April 20, 2016, New York Times
FLINT, Mich.—Three government workers were charged with crimes on Wednes-
64 Honor, Ethics, and Accountability
CHAPTER 5
answered skeptics in Flint and elsewhere who had openly doubted that anyone
would ever be held accountable for the health crisis here.
Emails and other documents have shown a cascading series of failures at
every level of government—local, state and federal—and Mr. Schuette, a Republican
who is widely seen as a possible candidate for governor in 2018, emphasized that
his investigation, begun in January, was far from over.
Mr. Prysby and Mr. Busch were arraigned later on Wednesday, court records
show. Lawyers for the three men could not be reached for comment.
Among other things, the workers were accused of distorting the results by
directing residents to run their water before it was tested and failing to collect
samples from some houses they were required to test. That had the effect of
making the levels of lead in the water supply appear far less dangerous than they
were, and falsely reassured officials who could have intervened months earlier, as
well as residents, that the water was safe.
Some residents pointedly alluded to Gov. Rick Snyder. Asked whether
Mr. Snyder would face charges, Mr. Schuette said, “There’s no target, and no one’s
off the table.”
Ellis Stafford, a Flint native and an investigator on the team Mr. Schuette
assigned to investigate what happened in Flint, choked up as he addressed the
65
The charges are linked to the handling of a change in the city’s water supply
two years ago and to the aftermath of that change, including a failure to add
chemicals that reduce corrosion inside pipes. The resulting problems led to Flint
Mr. Prysby was also charged with misconduct in office for authorizing use of
the Flint plant, “knowing that the Flint water treatment plant was deficient in its
ability to provide clean and safe drinking water.” Each of those charges carries a
maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Each of the tampering charges is a felony punishable by up to four years and
$10,000.
Timeline: Events That Led to Flint’s Water Crisis
At times, Mr. Glasgow has been seen as someone who tried to warn officials
about his concerns over the water. Not long before Flint switched to a new water
supply in 2014, Mr. Glasgow warned state officials that he believed the city was
not fully ready to make the change and suggested, in an email released as part of
thousands of emails made public since the crisis began, that “people above” him
IIV. Activities
66 Honor, Ethics, and Accountability
CHAPTER 5
Mr. Snyder, who announced this week that he would drink Flint water for a
month, said at a news conference on Wednesday that the charges were “deeply
troubling and extremely serious.”
He said he had not yet been interviewed by the attorney general’s team, but
that his office was cooperating with the investigation. Asked whether he believed
he had committed a crime, Mr. Snyder said, “I don’t believe so.”
Along the streets here on Wednesday, some people questioned why Mr. Snyder
was not being held to answer for the state’s failings.
6 MORE STATE WORKERS CHARGED IN FLINT
WATER CRISIS
Amy Haimerl and Abby Goodnough, New York Times , published July 29, 2016.
FLINT, Mich.—State prosecutors filed criminal charges against six more gov-
ernment workers here on Friday in connection with Flint’s water contamination
crisis, accusing them of concealing urgent information about the lead that was
leaching into the city’s drinking water and doing nothing to stop it.
67
Tests continue to show that unfiltered tap water is still not safe to drink, and
public health workers are trying to monitor thousands of Flint children who may
have been exposed to high levels of lead, which can profoundly affect growth,
behavior and intelligence over time.
The accused include Liane Shekter Smith, who led the state environmental
agency’s Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance unit until she was fired in Feb-
ruary. Prosecutors said she withheld information about the severe health risks of
using the water after the lead contamination was underway and failed to protect
the citizens of Flint. She was charged with one count of misconduct in office, a
felony punishable by up to five years in prison, and one count of willful neglect of
duty, a misdemeanor.
Both men were charged with misconduct in office and conspiracy. Mr. Cook
was also charged with willful neglect of duty, and Mr. Rosenthal with tampering
with evidence.
Also charged were Nancy Peeler, the Early Childhood Health Section man-
ager in the state’s Department of Health and Human Services; Robert Scott, a
data analyst for the department; and Corinne Miller, a state epidemiologist.
Ms. Miller, who was the state’s top epidemiologist but has since left the job,
instructed others not to take action on the initial report, Mr. Schuette said.
The three are charged with one count each of misconduct in office, conspir–
acy and willful neglect of duty. The four employees charged Friday who were still
IIV. Activities
68 Honor, Ethics, and Accountability
CHAPTER 5
Mr. Schuette, who said last month that investigators were having trouble get-
ting documents they had requested from Governor Snyder’s private lawyers, said
they had since had “great constructive dialogue” with Mr. Snyder’s team.
The investigators refused to say whether they had interviewed Mr. Snyder,
but one, Andrew Arena, said, “Nobody’s off limits, and the facts will take us to
the truth.”
Two other state employees and a Flint municipal employee—Michael Prysby,
a district engineer with the environmental quality department, Stephen Busch, a
district supervisor in the same department, and Michael Glasgow, Flint’s utilities
manager—were charged in April in connection with the lead contamination.
Mr. Glasgow has since agreed to cooperate with investigators in exchange for
reduced charges.
The investigators said they were also investigating a possible connection
between the water contamination and an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that
sickened at least 87 people in the Flint region, with nine known deaths, from
June 2014 through October 2015.
“You can rest assured that that is on our radar every day,” Mr. Flood said.
“That is an investigation that is ongoing, and we have the best experts in the
world working with us.”
Group Exercises
“Mr. Arjmenian Blows His Whistle”
Proposition : A democratic society benefits from moral dissent. Mr. Arjmenian is
the deputy finance director in the city of Pine Falls, California. Pine Falls is situ-
1. Based on your readings and prior knowledge of ethics, pick out from the list
below the relevant ethical issues involved:
2. Explain the concepts you have chosen as they relate to ethics in the case of
Pine Falls.
Questions for Further Discussion with Instructor’s Notes
1. A government decision maker is faced with making a choice among alterna-
tives, all of which come with costs. Think of an example of such a situation
and explain what the official should do.
This is an example of the applied ethics dilemma known as “the-lesser-of-
evils quandary.” This quandary is often encountered in public administration.
2. A government official is faced with the dilemma of doing something for the
public good that will have adverse consequences for himself. Think of an
example of such a situation and explain what the official must do.
This is an example of the applied ethics dilemma known as “the quandary
70 Honor, Ethics, and Accountability
CHAPTER 5
3. Can lying by a leader ever be justified by the argument that it is being done
for the public good?
Lying is commonplace in government. Plato acknowledged this when
he justified the case for the royal or noble lie. Over the ages it has been an
4. The authors speak of four levels of ethics. The second, third, and fourth
of these are professional ethics, organizational ethics, and social ethics.
Explain these three forms of ethics.
Professional ethics embodies sets of professional norms of behavior to
guide individuals in the proper behavior within a profession, so as not to
discredit that profession. These guidelines thus obligate the individual to act
Writing Exercises
Using one of the following key words or phrases of your choice, write a short
analysis linking the word or phrase from the scholarly text to an incident in your
workplace, your daily life, or a media report that you have heard.
bribery censure conflict of interest
Web Based Discussion and Writing Assignment
Use the following information, and additional sources, for a discussion on govern-
ment ethics and moral leadership, as discussed in Chapter 5 of your textbook.
71
V. Additional Web Resources
Police: White Knights or Dirty Harrys?
Public employees who are involved in paramilitary services have direct access to
the public, in jobs such as police work and firefighting. These “street-level” bureau-
crats consequently have access to the coercive and punitive powers of government.
Because of this, the citizens and the media expect a higher standard of scrutiny. Yet
their roles are multiple and complex. They often have to manage their personal
morality, organizational, professional, and societal roles in concert, and this could
lead to conflicts in decision making. Most often police officers are honest and eth-
ical, yet there are “Dirty Harry” stories of police corruption, ranging from white
lies to outright misuse of power via tactics that involve taking of bribes, torture of
prisoners, and the like.
Divide into two groups and discuss the following:
Group 1: Ethical policing. Give examples from local government. What
Small Group Exercise
Close to 100 case studies on ethics can be found at the Ethics Matters website at
V. ADDITIONAL WEB RESOURCES
Annenberg Political Fact Check
www.factcheck.org
This site posts articles that point out when politicians or political organizations lie or use
Centre for Applied Ethics
www.ethicsweb.ca/resources/business
This site provides links to organizations that advocate for ethical decision making and pres-
72 Honor, Ethics, and Accountability
CHAPTER 5
Citizens’ Circle for Accountability (CCA)
www.accountabilitycircle.org
The CCA offers information and resources concerning public accountability and why
Government Accountability Project (GAP)
www.whistleblower.org
This organization works to protect the rights of “whistleblowers” who disclose information
Pew Research
www.pewresearch.org
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, atti-
US Office of Government Ethics
www.oge.gov
Center for Ethics in Government
www.ncsl.org
A legislative counterpart to executive ethics associations, the Center was established in 1999