Public Management and Ethics
Public Management and Ethics tests how public organizations are managed and how officials handle integrity dilemmas. Expect New Public Management, performance regimes, principal–agent problems, codes of conduct, conflict of interest, and whistleblowing.
Core rules
- New Public Management emphasizes results, performance measurement, competition, contracts, and citizen choice; it can improve efficiency but fragment accountability.
- Principal–agent theory predicts shirking and information asymmetry; tools include monitoring, incentives, audits, and transparency.
- Ethics infrastructure includes laws, codes, training, advice, reporting channels, and independent oversight.
- A conflict of interest arises when private interest could improperly influence official duty; the standard remedy is disclosure, recusal, or divestment.
- Whistleblowing protection should cover good-faith disclosures through designated channels, with safeguards against retaliation.
Worked example
A procurement officer owns shares in a bidder. She does not vote on the tender but chairs the evaluation meeting. Disclosure alone is insufficient because her presence can influence discussion. The correct response is to declare the interest, withdraw from all stages, and ensure an independent chair. If she failed to disclose, the agency should review the award and apply disciplinary and procurement-integrity rules.
Traps
Do not reduce ethics to legal compliance; ethical judgment exceeds minimum rules. Do not assume a code of conduct is effective without training and enforcement. Do not confuse a gift with a bribe automatically, but apply value, timing, and intent tests. Do not ignore NPM’s ethical risks, such as pressure for measurable outputs.