Administrative Ethics in the Twenty-first Century

Book excerpt: After years of languishing in the long shadow of «values», its 1960s-era substitute, public discussion and debate about virtues, vices, character, and ethics are occupying center stage once again. This book joins that debate in a way that is both practical and useful to undergraduate and graduate students who are being introduced to the full breadth of public administration in introductory courses, or specialized ones in administrative ethics. Intended as a supplement to major ethics texts, this book will help readers develop a thorough understanding of the principles of ethics so they will come away with a deeper appreciation of the challenges and complexities involved in negotiating the ethical dilemmas facing administrators in a twenty-first century democratic republic.