ETHICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE CHALLENGES
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developed in the organization. Finally, an independence climate refers to the freedom of the individuals to pursue their own goals. Leadership is pivotal in creating an ethical climate. According to Moore (1995), the important task of public managers is to create public value. Mendel and Brudney (2014) assert that humanity at its best is in the business of creating public value. Sami et al. (2016) conclude that an organization’s ethical culture is an important factor in creating public value among employees. The “public values” provide a normative agreement about: (1) the benefits and human rights which should be (or should not be) permitted to the citizens; (2) the responsibilities of citizens towards society, the state and others and; (3) the codes on which governments and policies should be based (Bozeman 2007). Stoker (2006) highlights the cooperation between the public and private sectors in the creation of public values. According to Morse (2010), public value can be created by the leadership of an organization in a number of ways: by solving the problems; by improving competence and improving public service; or by responding to public service. Thompson and Rizova (2015) claimed that public value is created by the government through managing risks and promoting stability. In the following, this chapter explores some of the ways to implement an ethical climate. The elements of fairness, justice, and integrity are interrelated, and it is difficult to implement any one without the others. According to Romzek (2015, p. 27) “accountability is based on fairness, integrity, doing what is right, and regard for others. Because it is fundamental to how people and organizations operate.” In the following sections, the chapter focuses on the concepts of fairness, justice, and integrity.
Fairness One of the major elements of ethics and accountability is fairness, meaning that people are treated equally in terms of government services. So, public administrators are responsible for maintaining fairness in terms of treating people, in distributing the benefits and administering justice. Leadership is responsible for creating an environment of fairness among the employees, the beneficiaries, and other stakeholders. Fairness involves treating all people equally under established rules and procedures. The issue of fairness is also important in the awarding of benefits and services to the public. Any perception of unfairness has a debilitating effect on the public, and leads to a diminution of trust. The people will be reluctant to participate in any
