Weekend Format                                                                                                                   Summer 03

University of Utah Master of Public Administration Program 

Instructor: Richard (Rick) Green, Associate Prof. 

Office: OSH 214.

Mail: Center for Public Administration & Policy, OSH 214, 260 So. Central Campus Dr., University of Utah,

SLC, 84112

Home Address:4976 Spring Run Dr., SLC 84117

Email: rick.green@cppa.utah.edu

Web Address: www.cppa.utah.edu/~rg4280

Phone: 581-6781 ofc;277-6861 hm

Office Hours:Wednesdays, 1:00-6:00pm or by appointment.  On Fridays before exec cohort classes, I will be available in my office from 2:00-5:30pm Please call for an appointment if office hours are inconvenient.  I am also happy to correspond via email.

This course is designed to familiarize students with the ethical nature and dilemmas of public administration in American society.  Current approaches to ethics in government focus most on avoiding impropriety.  This is generally a negative and technical dimension stressing ethical boundaries defined by law.  Typical examples include conflict of interest, misuse of public resources for private ends, whistleblowing, and resignation in protest.  Though these issues are at times important, they arise infrequently relative to the dilemmas faced in day?to?day decision making, and are seldom as grave in their implications beyond the career of the affected administrator.

This course takes a very different approach.  It focuses on ethical dilemmas and concerns arising from the daily exercise of legitimate discretionary power.  We will, therefore, address positive and negative uses of administrative discretion, discussing questions such as: "How do I make `right' or `wise' decisions?"  "What is a `wise' decision?"  "To what and to whom do my obligations extend?" "Should/do I have sufficient authority to make a decision?"  "What values do I serve, and what are their priorities?"  “When should I engage in compromise, and when not?"  “Can I legitimately deceive others in the public interest?"  "What role should character and status play in public life?"  “Is there a meaningful distinction to make between public and private ethics?”  The questions go on and on, and though most cannot be answered definitively, we must nevertheless ponder them if we, as public administrators, are to perform their duties effectively and appropriately. 

More specifically, this course will address: 

·The nature and types of ethical obligation involved in American public administration; 

·The integration and application of various types of moral judgment in administrative contexts; 

·The relation of American constitutional and political theory to the ethical obligations and loyalties of public administrators; 

·The character and ethical relation of administrative politics to electoral, judicial, and pluralistic politics; 

·Typical moral dilemmas in public?sector decision making.
 

Students will read a variety of texts, articles, and cases that can help them learn about and apply various types of moral reasoning to specific administrative situations.  The principal goals of this course are to 

·Help students develop a reflective capacity concerning decisions in the public sector; 

·Give students a sense of the types of character and excellence that are desired of them as professional

                public administrators; and 

·In the process, they will also become familiar with the emerging literature on ethics in the field of Public

               Administration.

(1) Students must prepare answers to the study questions (attached) by the date on which they are assigned for class discussion.  Each answer should NOT exceed two type-written pages (they may be shorter, but must be answered completely).  The answers should be assembled in the order they are assigned, and should be stapled or bound for easy handling (I hate those plastic covers with the clip bar!).  They may be handwritten (legibly) or word processed -- I prefer word processing.

     You may consult with other students in preparing your answers.  Discussions among students can be very helpful in learning the material.  HOWEVER, please do not treat this as an excuse to skip your own reading of and thinking about the material.  Answering the study questions will help you organize and summarize reading material in a manner that enhances understanding and retention.  It will also prepare you for some engaging class discussion.  Answers to study questions should be turned in at the end of the class session for which they are assigned.

(2) Students will write a very brief (10-12 page) "think-piece" in which they analyze a public policy or administrative practice for its application of three or more types of moral judgment or argument.  Various types of moral judgment, such as moral equations, analogies, "raisons d'etre arguments", and philosophical principles, are routinely applied by public agencies as a matter of public justification of policy and administrative practice.  Each of these types of judgment will be covered in the course.  Students are strongly encouraged to analyze a policy or practice in their own organization or work.
 

The paper should include the following elements: 

·Identification of at least three types of moral judgment used in the organization, policy, or practice.

·An explanation of how they are applied. 

·A discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of these judgments as employed, and a discussion of the type of judgment you think is wisest.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I offer any student with a disability the opportunity to communicate with me privately to discuss receiving reasonable accommodation.  Such accommodations will be afforded based on the specific disability and as agreed in writing.  This statement in no way asks that students identify themselves publicly as having a disability; however, a request for reasonable accommodation can only be granted if a student makes his or her disability known to the instructor. 
 
 

June 14th: Introduction to course, review of syllabus. Handout summarizing types of moral judgment.
 

July 11-12: Theme I: Types of Ethics and Moral Judgment  READ: all of Robert Bolt's play, A Man for All Seasons.  In E-READINGS: (1) David Norton, "Character Ethics and Organizational Life"; (2) Michael Walzer, "Political Action: the Problem of Dirty Hands" (3) J. Patrick Dobel, “The Political Morality of Sleaze and Honor.” Answer study questions 1-3.

   Theme II: Integrity and Public vs Private Moral Character. (Brief lecture on Public Integrity.) READ:In ROHR, chapter 10. Video: "Politics, Privacy, and the Press."  Answer study question #4.

   Theme III: The Problem of Compromise. READ: IN E-READINGS: J.Patrick Dobel, “The Trouble with Compromise.” Answer study question #5. Video: “The Whiskey Priest,” Yes Minister series.

   Theme IV: Ethical Practice and Lying.  READ: Bok, LYING, chapters 1,2,3,6,7, 8 & 12. Case Study, in E-READINGS: Bruce Payne's "Richard Helms and the Foreign Relations Committee."  Answer study questions 6-7. Video: “The Tangled Web,” Yes Minister series.

July 18-19: Theme I: Citizenship and Public Life.  Read: In ROHR, Public Service Ethics…, Chapter 8. In E-READINGS, (1) Terry Cooper,  "Citizenship and Professionalism in Public Administration"; (2) Terry Cooper, "Hierarchy, Virtue, and the Practice of Public Administration."  Answer study questions 8-10. Video: “The Deadly Deception” NOVA.

   Theme II:  Ethical Dilemmas of Modern Professionalism.  Read: ROHR, Public Service, Ethics…, chapters 2 & 6; In E-READINGS: Richard Green, et.al., "Reconstituting a Profession for American Public Administration"; ASPA Code of Ethics.   Answer study questions 11-13. Video: "To Defend a Killer" (from Ethics in America series).  Brief Lecture: “The Friedrich-Finer Debate.”

   Theme III:  Cultivating Public Character.  READ: Rohr, Public Service Ethics…, Chapter 15; In E-READINGS: (1) John Schaar, "The Case for Patriotism"; (2) Lewis Mainzer, "Honor in Bureaucratic Life"; (3) Herbert Storing, "American Statesmanship: Old and New."   Brief lecture: “The ethic of structure and the ethic of neutrality.”  Answer study questions 14-16. 

   Theme IV: Bureaucratic Responsibility; The Problem of Discretion and Democratic Governance.   READ: ROHR, Public Service Ethics…,Chapters 1,9,11,12,13;   Answer study question #17.  Brief lecture: John Burke's "external" theory of bureaucratic responsibility.

Aug 1-2: Theme I:  Thinking Institutionally:  READ: In ROHR, Public Service Ethics…, Chapter 13; In E-READINGS: (1) Wayne Leys, "Ethics and Administrative Discretion"; and (2) York Wilbern, "Types and Levels of Public Morality". Brief Lecture: On Prudence. Answer study questions 18-19. Video: “Under Orders, Under Fire,” Part I, Ethics in America Series.

   Theme II:  Developing the Deliberative Art in Government: Learning to ask good questions. READ: In E-READINGS: (1) excerpts from Wayne Leys, Ethics for Policy Decisions: The Art of Asking Deliberative Questions; (2) ROHR, chapters 3-5.  Video: "Under Orders, Under Fire," Part II.  Brief lecture: John Rohr’s “Regime Values Method” of Moral Judgment.  Answer study question #20.

   Theme III:  Regime Values Analysis Illustrated.  READ: In E-READINGS: John Schaar, "Equality of Opportunity and Beyond”; Rohr, chapter on property in Ethics for Bureaucrats.  (Brief lecture “The Tension of Individual Rights and Common Good in Civil Society.)  Answer study questions 21-22.

Aug 6:PAPER DUE BY THIS DATE to avoid an "Incomplete" grade.
 
 
 

1.David L. Norton, "Character Ethics in Organizational Life," in  Papers on the Ethics of Administration. Provo, UT: Brigham Young Un. 1988.

2.Michael Walzer, "Political Action: The Problem of Dirty Hands"  Philosophy & Public Affairs, Vol. 1, no. 2 (Winter 1972). 

3.J. Patrick Dobel, “The Political Morality of Sleaze and Honor,” in  Public Integrity. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. 

4.J. Patrick Dobel. (1990). “The Trouble with Compromise,” chapter 7, pp.139-161, Rowman & Littlefield.

13.Wayne Leys, "Ethics and Administrative Discretion,"  Public Administration Review, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Winter) 1943. 

14.York Wilbern, "Types and Levels of Public Morality,"  Public Administration Review, Vol. 44, No. 2 (March/April) 1984.

15.Excerpts from Wayne A. R. Leys, Ethics for Policy Decisions: The Art of Asking Deliberative Questions.  New York: Prentice?Hall, 1952. 

16.John Schaar, "Equality of Opportunity and Beyond,"  in Roland Pennock and John W. Chapman, eds., Equality IX. New York: Atherton Press, 1967. 

17.John Rohr, “Property,” Chapter 5, in Ethics for Bureaucrats: An Essay on Law & Values. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1989.


 
 

1.Describe Norton's distinction between the ethic of character and the ethic of rules, and briefly explain what difference each makes to organizational life.

2.Briefly describe Michael Walzer's three approaches to the problem of "dirty hands." Which approach does he favor, and why?

3.According to Dobel, what are three types of “sleaze” in public office?

4.Per Rohr’s chapter 10, explain why we should be cautious about demanding too much “good character” of our public officials.

5.Per J. Patrick Dobel, explain three major problems that typically accompany the practice of compromise. 

6.How does Sissela Bok define lying? What is her general approach to lying?  Explain her moral analogy of lying as matter of exercising force, and show how this offers justification for some lies.

7.What is Sissela Bok's approach to "lies in a crisis" and "lies for the public good?"  When might lying be justified in these situations? 

8.According to John Rohr (Chapter 8), citizenship doesn't mean much in this country.  Why?  Then explain why bureaucrats shouldn't consider themselves "second?class citizens." 

9.According to Terry Cooper, what is "high citizenship?"  Why are utilitarian decision techniques such as cost/benefit analysis unsuited to our political heritage? 

10.Explain Terry Cooper's concept of "practice?" What are "internal" and "external goods."  How should these goods guide the public official's sense of ethical responsibility, i.e., which are the leading criteria, if any?

11.John Rohr (chapter 2) questions whether financial disclosure requirements and other intrusions on the private affairs of public officials might actually lead them to become insensitive to the privacy interests of the people they govern.  Explain.

12.According to John Rohr (chapter 6), why do professional statements or codes tend to be self-serving, and what problem does this pose for public administration as a profession?

13.Per Green, et.al., briefly explain why professionalism is at once troublesome and beneficial in government. 

14.According to John Schaar, what is the difference between patriotism and nationalism?  Also, what is the difference between "natural" and "covenanted" patriotism?  Why is covenanted patriotism more relevant to our society? 

15. According to Lewis Mainzer, why is "honor in bureaucratic life" difficult to achieve, and why is it important?  What does this have to do with ethics in government? 

16.According to Herbert Storing, why do populism and scientific management detract from good judgment in decision making?  Why did the founders distrust "democracy?"  Why does modern scientific decision theory, in effect, avoid decisiveness? 

17.Per Rohr’s chapters 1,9,11,12&13, summarize his constitutional theory of public administration, showing how the oath and separation of powers set up both the obligation and necessity to act fully as political officers of the regime. 

18.Per Rohr, chapter 13, explain the tension in executive power between clerkship and leadership, and how this muddles the institutional sources of responsibility in the public administration. 

19.Explain the three types of discretion Leys sees as existing in public administration, and why it is important to distinguish among them.

20.Per Rohr, chapters 3 and 4, explain why grounding public administrative ethics in philosophy, psychology, conflict of interest, resignation in protest, or human decency is not as appropriate as constitutional principles (e.g., regime values).

21.Per John Schaar, explain why we should be skeptical of the ideal of “equal opportunity.”

22.Per John Rohr, (in E-Readings) explain how the concept of “new property” came about.

Students matriculated before Fall Semester 2002: 

1. You must register for POLS 6971.

2. You must choose a regular faculty member as your supervisor.  It doesn’t have to be me. 

3. You should discuss possible topics with me.

4. You should submit a brief written proposal (1-2 pages) that outlines the basic contents and structure of the paper. 

5. The paper may expand upon the existing paper requirement for this course.  This could include identifying and discussing more types of moral judgment that undergird a public agency/non-profit organization’s practices and policies.  This would also require research of relevant sources that would extend and deepen your analysis of the agency’s policies/practices.

6. The paper may address a topic unrelated to the course paper requirement, in which case it would substitute for the course requirement.  You need not complete the paper in this course, but you must show substantial progress on it beyond the initial proposal/outline.  In most cases the project should include the following elements: 

a. An introduction that summarizes the main purpose, topics, and structure of the paper. 

b. A review of literature that is representative of scholarship on the topic.  An extensive or exhaustive literature review is NOT necessary.

c. A fair/balanced portrayal and assessment of contending views on the topic. 

d. Explanation of your own views on the issues, defending them against reasonably anticipated challenges.

e. A conclusion that suggests lines of further inquiry and some likely trends related to your research and analysis.

7. Recommended length: approximately 20-25 pages.

8. The MRP must have a cover page that clearly indicates that it is an MRP, and gives the title, your full name, student ID number, and name of the MRP supervisor. 

9. Your faculty supervisor must sign the relevant paperwork on the MRP and turn it in at the MPA office. 

10. You must submit a hardcopy of the completed MRP to the MPA office.

Students matriculated Fall Semester 2002 or later:

1. You will complete the paper in this course, and I will be your supervisor.

2. You should discuss possible topics with me.

3. You should submit a brief written proposal (1-2 pages) that outlines the basic contents and structure of the paper. 

4. The paper may expand upon the existing paper requirement for this course.  This could include identifying and discussing more types of moral judgment that undergird a public agency/non-profit organization’s practices and policies.  This would also require research of relevant sources that would extend and deepen your analysis of the agency’s policies/practices.

5. The paper may address a topic unrelated to the course paper requirement, in which case it would substitute for the course requirement. In most cases the project should include the following elements: 

a. An introduction that summarizes the main purpose, topics, and structure of the paper. 

b. A review of literature that is representative of scholarship on the topic.  An extensive or exhaustive literature review is NOT necessary.

c. A fair/balanced portrayal and assessment of contending views on the topic. 

d. Explanation of your own views on the issues, defending them against reasonably anticipated challenges.

e. A conclusion that suggests lines of further inquiry and some likely trends related to your research and analysis.

6. Recommended length: approximately 20-25 pages.

7. You must receive a grade of “B” or better on the paper to count it as your MRP.

8. You must notify the MPA office (Melanie or Juli) when you have successfully completed your MRP in this class, and send them an electronic version with the grade designated at the top of the cover page. The staff will confirm the MRP status and grade with me. 

9. The MRP must have a cover page that clearly indicates that it is an MRP, and gives the title, your full name, student ID number, name of the MRP supervisor, and course number and title in which the MRP was completed.