Ethics and Accountability

Ethics and Accountability

Educ 611MPA 617

Angelica T. Requina

CATEGORIES OF ETHICS

• DESCRIPTIVE ETHICS-describing how people

behave/moral standards they claim follow

What do people think is right?• METAETHICS

-investigate where ethical principle come from

What does "right" even mean?

• NORMATIVE ETHICS-is concerned with classifying actions

as right and wrong without biasHow should people act?• APPLIED ETHICS

-involves examining specifics controversial issues

- most practicalHow do we take moral knowledge and

put it into practice?

WHAT IS AN ETHICAL DILEMMA?

• Is a situation that requires choosing a course of action.

• State of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavourable options

• How do you apply your ethics as a teacher?

• How are the ethics of your student?in your workplace?

• What are your good work ethics?

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

ISSUES

1987 Constitution; Article XI, Section 1

Public Office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at

all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity,

loyalty, and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.

• Under a democracy such as in the Philippines, the people’s fundamental faith in the integrity of political institutions is what holds the system together even under the most difficult times.

• As Foster (1981) states: as the public becomes better educated, they also become more aware, more demanding, less understanding, and less willing to accept average performance

The Concept of Public Accountability-The activities of civil servants and

public agencies must follow the will of the people .

- The obligation of an individual/ organization to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them and to disclose the result in a transparent manner

Eight norms of conduct• Commitment to public interest• Professionalism• Justness and sincerity• Political neutrality• Responsiveness to the public• Nationalism and patriotism• Commitment to democracy• Simple living

ACCOUNTABILITY VS. RESPONSIBILITY

•Is answerability, blameworthiness, liability and the expectation of account giving•owed explanation•you hold as a person to only after a task is done or not

•may refer to being in charge, being the owner of task or event•explanation not necessary•can be before and/or after a task

Three Phases of Classical Cycle of Public Administration

– Planning

Evaluation

Implementation

Four standard questions are central to accountability

oWho is considered accountable?

oTo whom he is considered accountable?

oTo what standard or values is he accountable?

oBy what means is he made accountable?

Types of Accountability

Traditional Accountability

• Focuses on the regularity of fiscal transactions and the faithful compliance to legal requirements and administrative policies (Mckinney1981:144 as cited by Cariño 2003: 808)

• Concerns with efficiency and economy in the use of public funds, property and manpower (Tantuico 1982:8 as cited by Cariño 2003:808);

• Determining if an act is within the provisions of laws and regulations

Managerial Accountability

• These programs range from attempt at work simplification and revision of forms all the way to systems improvements and agency reorganization;

2 Standards:

1. Economical operation -elimination or reduction of needless costs.

2. Efficient operations-decreasing costs at a lower rate than benefits

Program Accountability

• Whether the government unit is carrying out only authorized activities or programs in the manner contemplated and whether they are accomplishing their objectives.

• Is concerned with the results of government operations.

Social Accountability

• the main inquiry is whether the administrative activities inspire general confidence and secure what are widely regarded as desirable social ends (Normanton 1981:34 and cited by Cariño 2003:911)

Types of Accountability

Process Accountability.• It implies emphasizes on procedures and

methods of operation and focuses on the black box inside systems which transforms inputs (the concern of traditional and managerial accountability).

Enforcing Accountability:

• Sandigan Bayan•Anti Graft court•Ombudsman• Public Prosecutor •Civic consciousness

Republic Act No. 3019 Section 1

It is the policy of the Philippine Government, in line with the principle that a public office is a public trust, to repress certain acts of public officer and private persons alike which constitute graft and corrupt practices which may lead thereto.

Problems :

• Ethics are over powered by ego.• Ethics of the modern society(students)• Ethics Vs personal interest/advancement• Ethics influenced by bias• Trustworthiness of public servants• Promotion and commitment to ethics and

accountability in the public sector.• Inability or unwillingness of the society to

call powerful and prominent• people in their wrongdoings

Thank you!!