Ethics in Public Administration

One of the most famous cases of ethics violations in public administration is the case of Watergate, involving the Nixon administration. The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) provides rules by which public administrators are meant to exercise their office. Nixon violated numerous CFR rules. Additionally, he violated Biblical ethics, particularly that which is written in Romans 13: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. Nixon not only showed disregard for the laws of the land, and the CFR, but also for the Scripture that teaches how people should respect authority. Nixon was President and believed that as President he was above the lawbut no public administrator is above the law, for the law is there to protect, and authority comes from God. An administrator is meant to serve othersnot himself. Yet Nixon,...

While there is evidence that Nixon knew about the break-in...…Nixons leadership during the Watergate scandal was not in line with what the Bible teaches about statesmanship.

Politics often impacts organizational behavior, but that does not mean political behavior is always justified or ethical. Organizations are social units that are goal-oriented and that consist of people who work together to achieve those goals. Politics, on the other hand, is the process by which groups make decisions. An administration engages in cronyism, awarding jobs or promotions to friends or relatives regardless of merit. Deceit can create a hostile environment of suspicion and mistrust throughout the administration and the public it serves, and thus can ultimately undermine the effectiveness of that serviceas…