Dear Vedamani, 

Here you find it: 

https://www.independentsector.org/principles

In modern times, ethics in government have become not only something of great public interest, but also an important area of study in the academic fields of politics and government.

What is Ethics?

According to Jay Makarenko, we often hear the term government ethics used in the media, and by politicians and political commentators – yet it isn’t always clear what exactly is meant by this term. A useful way to approach the discussion is to begin by examining the word “ethics.” Generally speaking, ethics refers to the study of right and wrong behaviours. In our daily lives, we are constantly faced with important questions about what to do.

Professional Codes of Conduct

An important field of study in ethics is professional codes of conduct. Many professions, such as the fields of medicine, law and education, have developed sets of rules or guidelines that govern members' conduct. These codes of conduct set out very clear guidelines of what are considered right and wrong behaviours within the particular profession. The doctor’s Hippocratic Oath is one of the most famous examples of a professional code of conduct. Often recited by medical students upon graduation, this Oath usually contains a promise to help sick persons to the best of one’s ability and to avoid harm whenever possible.

Ethics & Government

Government ethics refers to a particular professional code of conduct for those who work in and for government. Government ethics, therefore, involves rules and guidelines about right and wrong behaviours for a host of different groups, including elected leaders (such as the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers), elected representatives (such as Members of Parliament), political staff, and public servants.

These groups are faced with a variety of difficult and very unique ethical questions. Should a public official be able to hire his/her own company to work for the government? Should elected representatives be allowed to accept expensive gifts from lobby groups? When can a public official divulge personal information about citizens? How should public servants treat their co-workers and subordinates? Government ethics identifies what are correct behaviours in each of these situations and establishes rules of conduct for public officials to follow.

Government Ethics & Democratic Participation

So why should we care about government ethics? One reason often cited is the importance of government ethics to democratic participation. By setting out clear rules that public officials must abide by, and by holding persons accountable when those rules are broken, the citizens of a given country can have confidence in their elected representatives and political system. It goes without saying that there will always be scandals that violate ethics, but when unethical behaviour does occur, appropriate actions are taken to punish the person(s) responsible.

Government Ethics & Effective Public Administration

Another common argument for government ethics focuses on effective public administration. Collectively, governments at all levels are responsible for billions of dollars in taxpayers’ money and billions more in public assets and property. Moreover, governments are responsible for providing very important services to citizens, such as social services, public utilities, police services, and national security. Citizens, therefore, have a strong interest in ensuring this public money and property, as well as services upon which they depend, are managed as efficiently and effectively as possible. This requires taking precautions against activities that cause widespread government waste and inefficiency.

Government ethics, properly enforced, can be a valuable means for protecting against government waste and ensuring effective public administration. The adoption of an ethical code can prohibit many of the activities that lead to waste, including theft by public officials and use of government property for private gain. It can also address issues such as bribery and conflicts of interest; activities that can lead public officials to sacrifice the public interest in the administration of programs and services for private gain and benefit.

There has been a lot written about the ethics of governance since Enron. Enron, in particular, was seen as a failure of governance where conflict of interest was rampant. We have published a number of articles concerning ethics and governance in the Journal of Business Ethics over the years. The bar for ethical governance has been raised both in the private and public sector largely in response to scandals and failure of boards to take seriously their fiduciary responsibilities. The Sarbane-Oxley legislation in the United States was a response to unethical governance.

Governance as a word can have several meanings and could be applied across board or disciplines. It has to do with processes, practices and activities and as such as Mark Bevir rightly argued it is not exclusive to government as such. Governance is what governments do. It is because it is an activity, norms or institutional systems that stipulates conducts in leadership, whether in governement, in market economy, cooperations etc that one can talk about ethics. Primarily, ethics has to do with right or wrong conduct, not simply  on one's own judgement but in relation to people and things as the case may be. The idea of governance as that which posseses power, and authority necessary need to have ethical guidelines. Thus, ethics of governance refers to some presupposed norms and values that should accompany any regimes or regulations, practices and processes that exercises authority or power over different constellations of interactions, in government/political relations, international relations, market relations etc.

Answers are really illuminating.

Supplementary question: (why) do norms change with the change in governmet/party in power?

Why codes in Constitution/Law may be made applicable across the board?

In his Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle states that political science is the highest calling since it has do with administering and coordinating all the institutions within a state and so ensure that it is just.  Justice is a social and political virtue and is the sine qua non of the good society.  Hence, ethical practice is necessary for good government.