Predicting Political Influence on State Ethics Commissions: Of Course We Are Ethical—Nudge Nudge,Wink Wink

This article explores the ability of elected officials to affect the autonomy of state ethics commissions. The author examines autonomy as a function of the capacity of ethics commissions to control their finances and personnel decisions and how the presence or absence of that capacity affects whether bureaucratic structures can function independently of politics. Using data from the 2011 State Integrity Investigation, the analysis extends previous arguments concerning political actors’ desire to affect ethics commissions. Findings suggest that elected officials use their positions to control the makeup of commission leadership and financial resources, with the goal of decreasing commissions’ ability to act autonomously.     

Suchen wir immer an der richtigen Stelle? Einige Bemerkungen zur politikwissenschaftlichen Forschung nach dem Ende des Kalten Krieges

The essay discusses three research perspectives in the post Cold War era, namely the prospects of European Integration, the future of the Constitutional State and the stability of both international and domestic political institutions. Geopolitical issues of hegemony and hegemonic stability in Europe, the erosion of the state as the sole legitimate coercive power, public awareness of constitutional values and related ethics, the contingencies of institutional behaviour and related prerequisites of political leadership are presented as relevant though currently under-researched topics.     

佛教伦理:一种全球伦理资源的意义

全球伦理作为一种共享的全球性道德理想,必须在全球各种文明中寻找思想的资源.本文通过对佛教伦理内容的概括与梳理,考察了在"全球伦理"语境下佛教伦理的现代诠释方法,从信仰伦理、社会规范伦理、美德伦理等方面构建了佛教伦理的体系,探讨了佛教伦理思想的特质,展现了佛教伦理作为一种全球伦理资源的必要性、可能性及其意义.     

The Conditions of Care: Reframing the Debate about Public Sector Ethic

While a growing body of research argues for increased attention to ethics within public administration, scholars diverge on how to conceptualize the character of public ethics. Likewise, empirical evidence regarding the role that ethics plays in the quality of service delivery is rare. The author argues that the concept of a public ethics of care is useful for public administration in welfare states. She examines the idea empirically through a large‐N analysis of frontline bureaucrats within the Swedish Social Insurance Administration. The analysis develops two general measures of a public ethics of care as well as a public ethics of justice. The author proceeds to show a clear presence of an ethics of care in the Swedish public sector. Further, analysis shows that these two ethics measures are supplementary, not contradictory, and that age is the main individual determinant behind ethics of care, strongly correlating with number of years in office. The conclusion underscores how public ethics of care results from acquired experience in fulfilling care‐oriented tasks.     

Towards a Democratic Liberatory Ethics

The object of this article is threefold. First, to critically assess the approaches to liberatory ethics particularly those developed in early modernity which aimed at deriving an 'objectively' grounded liberatory ethics. Second, to explore the reasons why today's liberatory ethics should avoid both the Scylla of 'objective' ethics as well as the Charybdis of irrationalist ethics or unbounded moral relativism. Third, to show that a democratic liberatory ethics, which could only be derived through a process of democratic rationalism, should necessarily express those moral values which are intrinsically compatible to the democratic institutions themselves.     

A Public Ethics of Care for Policy Implementation

Liberal and republican political theorists have not paid much attention to a theory of public administration or policy implementation. To the extent that they have, they have tended to endorse an ideal-typical Weberian model of bureaucracy and impersonal ethics of rules to limit street-level discretion. This article argues that the Weberian bureaucratic ethics is inconsistent with core liberal and republican values and, in fact, dominating at the street level. In order for laws and policies to be implemented in a manner consistent with liberal and republican principles, an alternative public ethics is proposed—a public ethics of care. Building on earlier research, this article argues that a public ethics of care represents an important supplement to liberal and republican ideals, as well as a better alternative to Weberian bureaucratic ethics, for implementing laws and policies at the street level in limited and responsive, nondominating ways.     

Enforcement or Ethical Capacity: Considering the Role of State Ethics Commissions at the Millennium

Looking back on the twentieth century, the American public has witnessed numerous incidents of unethical behavior by a variety of federal, state, and local government officials. Ongoing cases of political and bureaucratic corruption raise questions about what governments are doing to prevent these "ethical lapses." Most state governments have comprehensive ethics laws and ethics commissions to enforce these laws. Very few studies have examined the role of ethics commissions in state government. This article stems from research conducted during 1997–98 involving more than 60 anonymous interviews with ethics officials and stakeholders in Connecticut, Florida, and New York. This analysis reveals that ethics commissions are instruments and symbols, policemen and consultants, politicians and neutral technicians, and interpreters of and prisoners to the ethics laws. The article concludes with 10 recommendations to improve ethics enforcement and the ethics-building capacity of state governments as society enters the next millennium.     

佛教伦理的现代意义——全球伦理视域下的考察

在建设全球伦理的漫长道路上，佛教伦理将起到重要作用。佛教伦理一直保持着与全球人类伦理共同拥有的价值观和道德意识与境界。佛教伦理已经具备了为全球伦理作出贡献的基础，并且可以提供重要的思想资源。当然佛教伦理思想和道德规范亦应继续保持自己的特色，而不是被全球伦理所淹没。     

Ethics and Public Sector Management: The Western Australian Experience

This paper considers two specific difficulties in developing a code of ethics for the public sector, the contested nature of the values to be expressed in a code of ethics and the organisational demands of a corporate managerialist framework which uses performance indicators. Using the example of the Western Australian public sector code of ethics, the authors conclude that a good strategy for developing a public sector code of ethics will recognise contestability, demonstrate philosophical integrity in the code, mesh the code with identified performance indicators and provide whistleblower protection. The strategy described provides a sufficient framework for any public sector bureaucracy to develop a justifiable code of ethics for use by public sector employees.     

Elite executives in issues management: the role of ethical paradigms in decision making

The perspectives of elite (or top‐level) issues managers on ethics are explored in this paper. From these elites we can learn how issues were managed at their global organisations and how questions of ethics were addressed in issues management. The organisations in this study were chosen because of their superlative rankings in measures of ethics and reputation. Research questions explored ethical decision making and the predominant paradigm of ethics in each organisation through six elite interviews and observation. Although both organisations attempted to address ethics, the elite issues managers at one organisation did so more thoroughly and effectively than did the managers at the other organisation. This efficacy was due to the depth of ethical study and training engaged in by the elites, the intense ethical analysis of issues, and the choice of a deontological approach to ethics. This paper argues that ethics should be concerted, codified, consistent, trained and rigorously analysed. A deontological paradigm of ethical decision making fits all of these criteria, and this research shows that a deontological ethical paradigm can contribute to effective issues management. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications.     

中华文明的世界主义对于构建全球伦理可有之贡献

中华明自古就有一个世界主义的传统，有破“国家中心论”的较低层次的世界主义，如梁启超、顾炎武；有破“区域中心论”的较高层次的世界主义，如先秦诸家；有破“人类中心论”的最高层次的世界主义，如张载、陆象山、康有为。世界主义的各种形态，在中华明中是齐备的。建立“全球伦理”这座大厦，需要动用全人类的智慧资源。中华明之世界主义在此重大构建活动中，至少可有如下之贡献：可以对全球伦理之各项要求提供全方位的支持；可以纠全球伦理之所偏，帮助全球伦理获得平衡稳定的发展；可以为全球伦理之实现提供方法与途径；可以提升全球伦理之视野，使全球伦理真正成为“普世伦理”或“普遍伦理”，把全球伦理之“全球”视野，提升到“宇宙”视野、“天下”视野。     

哈贝马斯程序主义伦理思想及其当代价值

哈贝马斯程序主义伦理思想是话语伦理思想的深化,其实质体现了一种形式化的道德规范程序,表现出伦理学的程序主义范式。他试图从道德标准、道德程序、道德实践及道德有效性等四个方面阐述程序主义伦理思想。在后现代语境中,程序主义伦理学以其范式转换的根本性变革更彰显其当代价值。作为回应现代性道德危机的独特解决方案,研究哈贝马斯程序主义伦理思想无疑具有重要的借鉴意义。     

Climate risks,climate economics,and the foundations of rights-based risk ethics

In this article, I argue that climate ethics must basically be risk ethics. But risk ethics is still an underdeveloped field of normative ethics. For example, rights-based ethical theories, the attractive features of which are outlined in this article, tend to prohibit all risk impositions. Such inability of rights-based theories to deal convincingly with risks could be a reason why the standard approach of climate economics, which as I try to show is based on questionable normative presuppositions, is still as influential as it is. I propose a solution to the problems rights-based moral theories have with risks and outline the basic criteria of permissible and impermissible risk impositions. Finally, I indicate that this will enable us to tackle climate risks in a promising way. The main aim of the article, however, is not to contribute to concrete questions of climate ethics but to the improvement of its normative foundations.     

To “Re‐Hatch” Public Employees or Not? An Ethical Analysis of the Relaxation of Restrictions on Political Activities in Civil Service

This study examines the ethical content of legislation regulating the political activities of civil servants. The analysis is done using the "ethics triangle," a tool that encompasses the interdependence of results-based utilitarian ethics, rule-based duty ethics, and virtue-based character ethics. The discussion begins with the importance of the problem, followed by its evolution and current status. After describing the methodology, the central section investigates the values at stake. The conclusion provides a synthesis of the findings, explores the implications of the study, and attempts to answer the question posed in the title of the paper.     

Reform or Resistance? Local Government Responses to State-Mandated Ethics Reform in Kentucky

Although several studies have examined state and federal regulationof political corruption andethics reform, few studies have extendedtheir focus to local governments. In this study, we examinethe local government response to stale-mandated ethics reformin Kentucky during the 1990s. Based on a quantitative analysisof local government ethics codes in 288 cities, we concludethat local compliance with state-mandated ethics reform hasbeen largely driven by local political factors. Cities withrelatively developed democratic institutions, characterizedby high levels of electoral competition and a strong media presence,were significantly more likely to construct strict ethics ordinances,as were cities reflecting moralistic political cultural values.     

TEACHING ETHICS, TEACHING ETHICALLY

A fair amount of attention has been given recently to teaching ethics and what manners of conduct are proper, especially in the public sector. This article examines not only the substance of teaching ethics, but also the process. The author contends that professors of ethics are in a difficult field because its scope is so broad. While different professions have different ethical codes and standards, it remains true that all fields have ethical considerations. The challenge for the ethics professor is to instill in students a basic understanding of proper conduct, realizing that some actions and decisions are better than others, while not attempting to appear morally omniscient.     

礼制与致仕制度

致仕制度是古代行政管理制度的重要组成部分。有关致仕的规定基本上是源于礼制,由于礼制不是法制,所规定的老、病、忠、孝等原因的自请致仕,仅是一种道德行为,不能规范社会政治制度,所以需要法律的强制力予以保障。在以礼入制、以礼入法、以礼入政的前提下,致仕制度逐渐向法制化转变。由于受到礼制的制约,致仕制度的法制化进程非常曲折,而在行政包揽一切和“人治”的情况下,致仕制度最终没有完成法制化。     

当前我国行政道德建设存在的主要问题及其思考

行政道德作为人类社会道德体系中的主干部分,对其他行业道德的发展具有特定的导向与示范意义。我国十分重视行政道德建设,并积极运用制度和法制在内的多种手段加强行政道德建设,培养提高公务员的道德自觉。但是,公共行政领域的行政道德失范现象并没有得到有效遏制,已经对社会健康发展构成了严重的障碍,造成这种局面的原因很复杂,其中行政道德建设本身存在的问题所产生的影响不容忽视。     

论行政伦理研究范式

行政伦理学如果希望不断积累知识,就必须在其研究领域形成公认的理论范式。范式的形成必须具备两个基本条件:在基本的问题上获得共识并形成坚定的信念;以共同的研究方法研究问题。行政伦理学以行政人员的道德行为为研究对象,而道德行为归根结底是遵守伦理规范的行为。规范既是一种制度,又是一种观念。前者是制度分析的对象;后者是知识社会学分析的对象。行政伦理的制度分析和知识社会学分析是理解行政伦理的必要途径。     

试析和谐社会中的政府行政伦理建设——美国经验的启示

政府保持清正廉洁是构建和谐社会的重要因素。美国政府已经基本形成一个相对完整的政府行政伦理体系。而其体系的建构则经过了上百年的历程,是由他律转变为自律的过程。美国政府道德规范体系的构建经验对中国有一定的借鉴意义。