Anyone in a position of power can face ethical dilemmas. Effectively handling these challenges is central to maintaining a career and the respect of your employer—particularly when your employer is the tax-paying public, and you’re spending their money.  

Here we’ll discuss some of the ethical concerns public administrators may face. We’ll also provide some suggested strategies that can benefit both the public and your personal career longevity. 

Issue: Unethical Behavior 

Identifying and addressing corrupt, fraudulent, or otherwise unethical behavior may be one of the most difficult duties a public administrator has, but it’s also among the most crucial.  

Strategies 

  • Establish and enforce strong whistleblower protections to encourage reporting of unethical behavior. 
  • Implement robust auditing and oversight procedures and tools to detect and prevent such behaviors. 
  • Offer recurring, mandatory ethics training to employees. 
  • Lead by example. 

Issue: Conflicts of Interest 

A public administrator may encounter situations in which their personal interests or relationships conflict with their professional duties.  

Strategies 

  • Disclose conflicts of interest to appropriate parties or departments. 
  • Recuse yourself from decision-making processes in these situations. 
  • Institute and adhere to policies regarding conflicts of interest. 

Issue: Public Accountability 

At times a public administrator may have to answer to the public for actions that they or members of their department took. 

Strategies 

  • Keep communication channels open with the public. 
  • Ensure the public knows you take public concerns and feedback seriously. 
  • Be as specific as possible, e.g., use empirical data and statistics, when justifying actions. 
  • Make maintaining integrity top priority. 

Issue: Maintaining Transparency 

A public administrator builds trust through transparency, but there are some instances when confidential information must be protected.  

Strategies 

  • Follow all legal requirements regarding transparency and confidentiality. 
  • Adhere to ethical guidelines and organizational policies on information sharing. 
  • Endeavor to balance the public’s right to know with the need to protect sensitive information. 

Issue: Allocation of Resources 

It’s common for a public administrator to have to allocate limited resources among various competing needs and groups.  

Strategies 

  • Focus on fair and equitable ways to distribute resources, keeping in mind where the greatest needs are and what will make the broadest positive impact. 
  • Seek input from all interested parties before making allocation decisions. 
  • Develop and implement transparent criteria and processes in resource allocation. 

Issue: Conflicts Involving Personal Beliefs 

A public administrator may have to implement policies that conflict with their personal beliefs or values. 

Strategies 

  • Maintain a professional attitude and consider the public interest over personal beliefs while implementing policies. 
  • Push for policy changes through official channels if you believe a policy may be unethical or harmful. 
  • Request advice on the matter from managers and other leaders within and outside the department. 

Build a Foundation for an Ethical, Rewarding Career in Public Administration 

If you have a public leadership role in mind, The University of Texas Permian Basin’s online Master of Public Administration (MPA) provides an opportunity to build the skills and knowledge you’ll need to excel in the public  and nonprofit sectors—or move from one to the other.  

Our program curriculum empowers you with the management savvy to address organizational challenges and policy questions with practical, proficient, ethical, legal, and politically astute approaches, all while advancing your fundamental goal of serving the public interest. 

If you’re passionate about ethics, you may be interested in these online MPA program courses: 

Our program provides a significant number of advantages that we encourage you to compare to other MPA programs: 

  • Apply to and complete this program from just about anywhere on the planet—no campus visits are required. 
  • Enjoy the flexibility of earning your master’s degree online while fulfilling your professional and personal responsibilities. 
  • Choose one of three optional focus areas to align with your career interests and goals. 
  • Study under the guidance of accomplished faculty with extensive experience in public careers.  
  • Pay lower tuition rates than most other regionally accredited universities. 
  • Earn your degree without thesis or internship requirements. 
  • Graduate in as little as 12 months. 

Master’s degree holders aged 25 and older enjoy steadier employment and greater compensation potential compared to individuals with a bachelor’s degree alone.  

Want to know more? See where graduates of this UTPB MPA program are working, as well as career options and salaries associated with this degree.  

Ready to apply? Get started here. 

Sources: 
https://www.aspanet.org/ASPA/ASPA/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics.aspx
https://www.doi.gov/ethics/basic-obligations-of-public-service
https://medium.com/@armybratiasacademy06/the-crucial-role-of-ethics-in-public-administration-1088ab45b37a