Ethics in Public Administration

Book Details

• Author: Patrick J. Sheeran

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Language: English

• Edition: 2007

• ISBN: 8131600211

• Pages: 127

• Cover: Hardcover

• Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches

About the Book

Ethics in Public Administration offers public administrators both theoretical insights into ethical principles and a practical framework for applying these principles effectively in their work. Patrick J. Sheeran examines the role of ethics within the broader context of philosophy, connecting it to political and administrative theory and practice. He thoroughly reviews various ethical theories and concepts from which these principles are derived.

Before delving into ethics in the context of philosophy, Sheeran provides an overview of key philosophical subjects, including ontology, epistemology, and psychology. The book explores different definitions of ethics and contrasts the objectivist (absolutist) and interpretivist (situation ethics) perspectives. Sheeran focuses on human actions and their morality, investigating sources like Natural Law, man-made law, and conscience to determine the morality of actions.

The book also tackles controversial policy issues such as suicide, murder, abortion, sterilization, capital punishment, war, lying, and strikes, applying ethical theories to these real-world situations. This work is an essential read for graduate and undergraduate students of public administration, public policy, management, and administrative behavior.

Contents

• Overview of Philosophy and Ethics

• Ethical Theories and Concepts

• Sources of Morality: Natural Law, Man-Made Law, and Conscience

• Application of Ethics to Policy Issues:

  • Suicide

  • Murder

  • Abortion

  • Sterilization

  • Capital Punishment

  • War

  • Lying

  • Strikes

About the Author

Patrick J. Sheeran holds a Doctorate in Public Administration and a Master’s in International Relations from the University of Southern California. A former Catholic priest, he has taught graduate courses in public administration, including ethics, at the University of Southern California, George Mason University, and Shenandoah University. He is also the author of Women, Society, the State and Abortion: A Structuralist Analysis (Praeger, 1987).