Public administration ethics: Looking back and moving forward

Since the emergence of administrative ethics as a field of study in the mid-1970s, scholars have examined public administration ethics from different angles and perspectives. The chapter provides an overview of knowledge accumulation in the field of administrative ethics and offers suggestions for future research. The chapter starts with a discussion about how administrative ethics has emerged as a field of study. Then the chapter discusses an overview of knowledge accumulation in the field from two different levels: principle level and operational level. At the principle level, studies focus on exploring the ethical grounds for public administration. At the operational level, studies examine ways to ensure ethical public administration. Finally, based on the overview of knowledge accumulation in the field of administrative ethics, the chapter suggests directions for future research.