POAD8137 Ethics in Public Administration

2017

4.5

1 x 2-hour seminar weekly

1 of POAD9123, POAD9137 has been successfully completed

Master of Public Administration; Graduate Diploma in Public Administration; Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Management; Graduate Certificate in Public Policy; Graduate Certificate in Social Planning; Master of Public Administration (online pathway); Graduate Diploma in Public Administration (online pathway)

This topic aims to develop your critical understanding of the various philosophical and social scientific theories of ethics, the ethical issues raised by the practice of public administration, how people make ethical decisions and how public sector ethics can be improved. To achieve this, you will explore philosophical and social scientific theories of ethics as well as a number of ethical issues raised by the practice of public administration. You will also examine how policy disputes reflect different types of morality, how people arrive at moral judgements, how to make an ethically informed decision and investigate ways in which public sector ethics can be improved.

This topic aims to develop a critical understanding of:

• The various philosophical and social scientific theories of ethics
• The ethical issues that the practice of public administration raises
• How people make ethical decisions and how public sector ethics can be improved

Students who successfully complete this topic will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge 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 politicisation and bureaucracy and morality
• Explain why organisational politics exist, how they manifest and their consequences for organisations
• 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