Ethics and Public AdministrationModule Details

Philosophical and social scientific theories of ethics have become an integrated part of postgraduate education in the majority of fields. Having said that, Public Administration students should observe ethical issues raised by the practices of public administration and peoples’ ethical decisions, critically thinking how public sector ethics can be improved.

Demonstrate an understanding of the different philosophical theories of ethics such as deontology, utilitarianism and virtue ethics, as well as an understanding of how to apply them to moral issues.
Demonstrate an understanding of the different ethical issues that the practice of public administration raises such as dirty hands, conflicts of values, conflicts of interest, accountability and politicization and bureaucracy and morality.
Be able to explain why organizational politics exist, how they manifest and their consequences for organizations.
Demonstrate an understanding of various social scientific theories of morality, how people arrive at moral judgements and how policy disputes reflect different types of morality.
Demonstrate an understanding of the different ways in which public sector ethics can be improved.
Demonstrate the ability to make an ethically informed decision using the knowledge developed in this topic.