Combating Corruption, Encouraging Ethics

In their second edition of Combating Corruption, Encouraging Ethics, William L. Richter and Frances Burke update this essential staple to delve deeply into the unique ethical problems of twenty-first century public administration. Wide-ranging readings from Aristotle and Kant to John Kennedy and John T. Noonan provide initiation into the philosophical basis of ethics as virtue, consequence, principle, and responsibility, while new case studies drawn from today's headlines join old classics from the previous edition to help students apply ethical foundations to a modern administrative career. New chapters on privacy, secrecy, and confidentiality and the changing boundaries of public administration consider the consequences of computerization and globalization, two of this century's greatest challenges.

By seamlessly melding theory with practice, Richter and Burke have created a key resource in educating future public administrators on the ethical problems associated with corruption, deception, evasion of accountability, and the abuse of authority. Open-ended examples and discussion questions encourage students to understand the complexity of administrative ethics and the need for careful thought in their day-to-day decisions. Combating Corruption, Encouraging Ethics offers both the depth demanded by graduate courses in administrative ethics and the accessibility necessary for an undergraduate introduction to public administration.