Integrity in Public Life

Jane Sinclair, Vernon White, Claire Foster-Gilbert

ISBN 10: 1912208709 / ISBN 13: 9781912208708

Published by Haus Publishing, GB, 2019

About this Item

Good governance is one of the UK's fundamental values, and citizens are entitled to expect that public officials, both elected and non-elected, behave according to the highest standards of ethical behaviour. However, such lofty aspirations are not enough to root out corruption. If integrity in public life is to be maintained, the core principles behind it must be constantly sustained and strengthened. This new Haus Curiosities volume, published in collaboration with Westminster Abbey Institute, looks at the place and meaning of integrity in the individual public servant, in public service institutions, and in the wider public they purport to serve. It tries to answer the fundamental questions of what integrity means in public life, what lasting value it has, and why it has such a critical part to play in the constitution of Britain. The book also explores how people in public service institutions can cease to behave with humanity when those institutions deny the individual human spirit. On the other hand, the authors argue for the critical importance of institutions in upholding values when fallible humans forget them, as we have witnessed in the Civil Service's steadfast and stabilising response to the Brexit referendum and its uncertain aftermath. Integrity in Public Life provides a critique of and an essential guide to integrity, leaving the reader with some hope for its continued place in public life.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781912208708

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Integrity in Public Life
• Publisher: Haus Publishing, GB
• Publication Date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1912208709
• ISBN 13: 9781912208708
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Good governance is a fundamental value in the United Kingdom, and its citizens are entitled to expect that public officials, both elected and non-elected, behave according to the highest standards of ethical behavior. Of course, these aspirations alone are not enough to root out corruption in government. In order for integrity in public life to be maintained, the core principles underlying these expectations must be constantly examined and strengthened. This new volume, published in collaboration with the Westminster Abbey Institute, explores ways in which public service institutions can maintain integrity on both the institutional and the individual level. While keeping the power of the individual in mind, the authors also illustrate the critical role institutions play in upholding values when the moral compass of individuals in power fails. Integrity in Public Life provides an essential guide to integrity, seeking to answer the fundamentals of what integrity means in public life and why it holds such a critical role in the constitution of Britain.
 

About the Author

Claire Foster-Gilbert is the founding director of Westminster Abbey Institute and a current member of numerous medical and theological ethics committees.