U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Government, Ethics, and Managers: A Guide to Solving Ethical Dilemmas in the Public Sector

NCJ Number
127467
Author(s)
S S Steinberg; D T Austern
Date Published
1990
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This analysis of the ethical dilemmas that confront elected and appointed government officials offers ways to analyze them and describes a series of management strategies designed to prevent unethical behavior.
Abstract
The text also suggests ways to identify a jurisdiction's susceptibility to corruption and presents model policies, procedures, and legislation that could be effective in reducing the opportunity for unethical behavior. An overview presents and analyzes 14 cases involving potential unethical behavior. Further sections explain the motivations for unethical practices, scenarios involving bribes, and specific policies and procedures for preventing and detecting incidents of official corruption. The analysis concludes that the four essential components of ethical government are training, management audits, followup investigations of allegations of unethical or illegal practices, and management control. Chapter notes, appended score sheet for the 14 case examples, index, and 15 references