The Responsible Public Servant Second Edition (Print)

Author: Kenneth Kernaghan, John W. Langford
Publication Date: 2014

Are public servants personally responsible for the outcomes of government actions or omissions to which they contribute? Do they have an obligation to pursue the public interest? Are there limits on the extent of their loyalty to political masters? How do they avoid conflict of interest? Is it possible to balance the competing demands of openness and confidentiality, or personal privacy and public security? To whom are they accountable? How can they build a strong ethical culture in their organization or agency?

This book examines these and other difficult questions faced by public servants trying to sort out what it means to be a responsible public servant in the 21st century. The focus is the nature of responsible behaviour at all levels of government. So this is a book about professional or applied ethics ' reflections on the guidance provided to public servants about how to behave in their relationships with their political masters, administrative superiors, colleagues, clients, the wider public and, lastly, with their own personal interests.

This is the second edition of a book that has become Canada's best-selling volume on public service ethics. Thousands of students and government employees at the federal, provincial and municipal levels have used The Responsible Public Servant in the classroom and professional development workshops to guide their consideration of ethical dilemmas which public servants face on a daily basis. The new edition has the same focus and plain language approach as the original volume but is completely rewritten to reflect the impact of recent political, technological and societal changes on the role and responsibility of public servants. Each chapter contains short case studies based on real events to provide readers with an opportunity to test their views on the nature of responsible behavior.

ISBN: 9781550610000
Discounted member price: 23.95
29.95
You could save: 20.0%