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Most of us will agree that ethics training is vital to ensuring a government whose employees act with integrity. But many employees find training on their ethical obligations to be some other things as well: difficult to understand, overly preachy, or just plain boring. We all know that people retain information better when it is presented in an interesting and memorable way. The challenge with ethics training is to take this important, but not always accessible, subject matter and make it stick in the minds of government employees so that they do the right thing when facing an ethical dilemma.

Accountability is seen as an essential feature of governments, businesses and NGOs. This volume treats it as a socially constructed means of control that can be used by the weak as well as the powerful. It contributes analytical depth to the diverse debates on accountability in modern organizations by exploring its nature, forms and impacts in civil society organizations, public and inter-governmental agencies and private corporations. The contributors draw from a range of disciplines to demonstrate the inadequacy of modern rationalist prescriptions for establishing and monitoring accountability standards, arguing that accountability frameworks attached to principal-agent logics and applied universally across cultures typically fail to achieve their objectives. By examining a diverse range of empirical examples and case studies, this book underscores the importance of grounding accountability procedures and standards in the divergent cultural, social and political settings in which they operate

AbstractLiberal and republican political theorists have not paid much attention to a theory of public administration or policy implementation. To the extent that they have, they have tended to endorse an ideal‐typical Weberian model of bureaucracy and impersonal ethics of rules to limit street‐level discretion. This article argues that the Weberian bureaucratic ethics is inconsistent with core liberal and republican values and, in fact, dominating at the street level. In order for laws and policies to be implemented in a manner consistent with liberal and republican principles, an alternative public ethics is proposed—a public ethics of care. Building on earlier research, this article argues that a public ethics of care represents an important supplement to liberal and republican ideals, as well as a better alternative to Weberian bureaucratic ethics, for implementing laws and policies at the street level in limited and responsive, nondominating ways.

Abstract. Modern societies demand governments promoting equitable and sustainable development and combating corruption. In the different areas of the public administration, factors such as transparency, efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, economy, human rights and respect to the legal framework are of great relevance for a good government. In Mexico it is necessary to reinforce the ethical aspect in the public administration to diminish the level of corruption. The ethical behavior of the public servant is related to integrity, honesty, transparency, expertise and leadership, it is part of the social capital of a country and a necessary condition to a good government and to eradicate corruption. It is essential to establish efficient systems, programs and mechanisms to promote the importance of ethics in government and society. Finally, society must vote to punish or reward the government performance, recognize its social duties and rights, demand the equal exercise of the law and always act ethically. Resumen. Las sociedades modernas exigen gobiernos promotores de un desarrollo sustentable y equitativo y que disminuyan la corrupción. En las diversas áreas de la administración pública destacan los siguientes factores como elementos clave de un buen gobierno: transparencia, eficiencia, eficacia, austeridad, rendición de cuentas, respeto a losderechos humanos y legalidad. En México es necesario reforzar la ética pública para abatir los altos niveles de corrupción. El comportamiento ético del servidor público se relaciona con integridad, honestidad, transparencia, capacidad y liderazgo, es parte del capital social de un país y condición necesaria para mejorar el servicio que ofrecen los gobiernos y para abatir la corrupción. Es imprescindible establecer sistemas, programas y mecanismos eficientes que promuevan la importancia de la ética pública. Finalmente, se destaca que la sociedad debe premiar o castigar en las urnas el desempeño del gobierno; ejercer sus derechos y cumplir con sus obligaciones sociales; exigir la aplicación indiscriminada de la ley y; observar, en todo momento, un comportamiento ético.