Dubnick, Melvin J., “Accountability And Ethics: Reconsidering the Relationships,” INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ORGANIZATION THEORY AND BEHAVIOR, 6, no. 3 (2003): 405-441.
——-, “Accountability And Ethics: Reconsidering The Relationships,” in ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY (New York: Marcel Dekker, 2003): 1-14.
——-, “Accountability And Ethics: Reconsidering The Relationships,” in ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY, 2nd edition (New York: Taylor & Francis, 2008): 10-24.
Abstract: While a relationship between accountability and ethics has long been assumed and debated in Public Administration, the nature of that relationship has not been examined or clearly articulated. This article makes such an effort by positing four major forms of accountability (answerability, blameworthiness, liability and attributability) and focusing on the ethical strategies developed in response to each of these forms.
Author’s Note:
This paper is found in three published locations. The original was published in the International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior; it was re-published in the Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Policy (EPAP) the same year; and again in the EPAP 2nd edition (2008). The content of all is identical except for adjustments in citation formats made for the Encyclopedia versions.
AI-Generated Summary:
This document explores the sociological relationships between accountability and ethical behavior in public administration, emphasizing different mechanisms and strategies for fostering responsible conduct.
Four Forms of Accountability
- The article identifies answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and attributability as key types of accountability.
- These forms influence the ethical strategies developed in response to each, shaping administrative behavior.
Sociological Perspective on Accountability
- Focuses on accountability as social mechanisms impacting actors through social pressures.
- Emphasizes processes like confessing, punishment, making amends, and restoring reputation to repair damaged relationships.
Answerability and Ethical Strategies
- Answerability involves responding to role-specific expectations, often linked to democratic and organizational accountability.
- Ethical responses depend on models: intuitive politicians, rational agents, or rule-followers, each relying on external signals and structures.
Blameworthiness and Public Service Culture
- Blameworthiness shifts focus from roles to social status, often leading to scapegoating.
- Public agencies are frequently blamed for failures regardless of causal responsibility, especially after crises like 9/11.
Ethical Responses to Blameworthiness
- Strategies include instrumentally using blame to improve future performance, adhering to deontological standards, or shifting professional identity.
- These approaches aim to establish credibility and autonomous ethical agency.
Accountability as Liability
- Focuses on legal and structured contexts where actions are guided by laws and sanctions.
- Emphasizes compliance with formal rules, laws, and contracts to maintain order and control.
Issues of Liability
- Not explicitly detailed in the excerpt, but implied as involving legal responsibility and adherence to formal standards.
- Highlights the importance of law-like structures in highly structured situations for accountability.
Complexities of Type C Accountability
- It focuses on individual acts of responsibility rather than role-based blame, emphasizing causality.
- Legal cases like My Lai show limitations in holding supervisors accountable under liability-based systems.
Challenges of Collective Responsibility
- Liability systems struggle with the “many hands” problem, making collective blame difficult.
- Shifting from liability to personal responsibility raises fairness issues and is hard to prove in complex situations.
Legal and Administrative Foundations
- Judicial treatment of discretion and immunity has transformed administrative accountability.
- Courts’ move to lift sovereign immunity exposes administrators to legal risks, influencing their behavior.
Law-Inspired Ethical Approaches
- Ethics rooted in law include obligation (rule adherence), conscience (higher standards), and analogical reasoning.
- These approaches promote procedural fairness and legal standards over consequences or blame avoidance.
Type D Accountability and Private Life
- Accountability extends into private life, especially for public officials, due to societal expectations and diminished privacy.
- Private behaviors can impact public image and lead to formal or informal sanctions, regardless of relevance to job duties.
Ethical Responses to Private Life Accountability
- Individuals are expected to accept the link between personal and professional conduct, especially in public roles.
- Virtue ethics and character-based approaches emphasize integrity and moral consistency across private and public spheres.
Implications for Public Administration
- Understanding accountability-ethics relationships can improve institutional design and reform efforts.
- Emphasizing social mechanisms over models helps explain administrative behavior and the success of reforms.
Summary of Key Relationships
- Different accountability types align with specific ethical strategies: answerability with rule-following, blameworthiness with moral standards, liability with law-based obligations, and attributability with personal responsibility.
- Clarifying these links aids in assessing accountability practices and ethical standards in public administration.