Personal Conflict and Organizational Duty

Public Administration Ethics

In thinking about ethics in public administration, Marini\\\\\\\'s (1992) analysis of Sophocles\\\\\\\' Antigone helps to give some insight into and frame the ethical dilemmas likely to be encountered in public administration, but seen through the lens of characters like King Creon, who must uphold the law despite personal conflicts. It is an interesting approach to thinking about ethics because the play is an ancient one, yet using it as a springboard helps one to realize that ethics transcend time and space and touch on something higher. The ancient text of Antigone helps one to reflect a bit on what modern public administrators can do when it comes to decision-making. The ethical challenges in public administration are also touched upon by the government-wide ethics laws (18 U.S.C. §§ 201-209), which impose strict regulations to prevent conflicts of interest, bribery, impartiality issues, etc., among federal employees (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2023).

The real-world case of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) scandal is one example. In that case, systemic failures led to delayed care and deaths of veterans, and it shows where and when and how the basic ethical principles touched upon by Marini (1992) were lost. The VHA administrators had ethical breaches like falsifying records to hide delays in care, and violations of 18 U.S.C. § 201 (bribery) and § 207 (post-government employment restrictions) (Bronstein, 2014). This case exemplifies the painful consequences of ethical lapses in public administration, and it all lines up well with Marini\\\\\\\'s argument that ethical challenges often arise from conflicting obligations and personal considerations.