Ethical Commitment - the Most Reliable Weapon in Fighting Corruption

• Author: Mihaela Victorita Carausan
• Position: Senior Lecturer, PhD, National School of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania
• Pages: 72-90

ACTA UNIVERSITAT

72

Abstract:

In the present st

commitment of the future ci

only them, should consider

Romania, during the years

knowledge on what ethics m

that we do not know how to

the public system, through i

inducing, directly or indirectl

Keywords:

integrity standard

1. Introduction

Almost twenty years a

Currently, however, a la

every week

and mont

concern for the problem

Generally speaking, and

countries are also the m

of recent research stud

cannot say that it is a p

transfer from absolutism

under

mines the importa

and good governance.

1

Senior Lecturer, PhD, Nat

Romania. 6 Povernei Street

Corresponding author: mihae

ATIS DANUBIUS

Vol. 8, n

Ethical Commitment -

the Most R

Weapon in Fighting Corrupt

Mihaela CRUAN

1

t study we intend to reach and to formulate the importan

civil servants, an issue that the schools of public administra

der in developing their curriculum. Our working

assumpti

rs a line was not drawn in what it concerns the corruption.

means and which are the consequ ences of the lack of it can in

to fight agains

t corruption. The hypothesis that led us to the s

h its human resources and specific relation ships, can increas

ectly, the corrupted stereotypes.

ards, responsibilities, trust, professionalization

s ago research and concern on corruption was a s

a large number of editorials, surveys and reports are

nth. This development partly reflects an increa

em.

and theoretically, it is recognized that the governme

most corrupted. This is one of the few clear empir

tudies on corruption. As far as Romania is conc

a poor country, it is only a country that still tries to

tism to a market economy. Corruption is the agent

ortance of formal institutions in strengthening of

ational School of Political Studies and Public Administratio

eet, Sector 1, Buc

harest, Romania,

+4021.318.08.97, fax: +40

haelacarausan@gmail.com.

AUDJ, vol. 8, no. 2/20

8, no

. 2/2012

t Reliable

ption

tance of ethical

stration, and not

ption is that in

on. The lack of

induce the idea

e study was that

ease t he risk of

a small field.

are published

reased public

ments in poor

pirical res

ults

oncerned, we

s to make the

ent that often

of democracy

tion, Buch arest,

4021.312.25

.35.

/2012, pp. 72

-90

JURIDICA

73

There are strong arguments and evidence that well-functioning legal,

administrative and social institutions are necessary requirements for development.

In a state based on the rule of law public administration plays an important role, it

is the ‘key keeper’ of stability and adaptability. Public administration and its civil

servants as policy implementers are called in to put in practice the legal standards,

but they can be influenced by the phenomenon of corruption either directly, from

the different stakeholders or indirectly through politicians (local and central).

The “dark face” of public administration is corruption which together with

bureaucracy can keep a state in a continuous crisis. The World Bank’s

“multipronged” anti-corruption strategy (2000) brought to fore the civil service

reform as one path necessary to be implemented in order to diminish corruption.

The future of public administration is in the hands of our students.

We cannot conceive a civil service reform without taking into consideration the

ethical commitment of our next generations of civil servants. Ignoring the

development of public administration on ethical coordinates will force us to ignore

the fact that civil servants are people, not only implementers. They have their own

values surging from different backgrounds and their desire to assert

professionalism cannot be reduced to conformity. Professional fulfilment is part of

human fulfilment and self-esteem condition.

The ethics area of government is particularly sensitive because its main aim is to

maintain public confidence in the functioning of institutions, trust without which

democracy is only a bad political show. The public interest is based on a moral

framework which promotes values such as: personal dignity, freedom, respect for

law and order. These moral values are studied at ethics, a science that pay attention

to their historical development, to their content, to their role in the social life and to

moral conduct.

All schools of public administration around the world have tried to train the most

competent people, professionals in public administration. However, we do not

know to what extent they are prepared to act ethically, especially because

transitional countries (such as Romania) have always complained of inability to

attract the best trained civil servants.

Ethics as subject of study was integrated in the Romanian (NSPSPA) public

administration curriculum in the 3

rd

year, the last year of the bachelor degree, when

the students already know the ‘secrets’ of public administration. Our main theme