Values and Ethics

As a concept, values are often interchanged with ethics, particularly in relation to addressing corruption or maladministration. Values in and of themselves do not have agency i.e. they do not actually do anything. Instead it is the application of ethical codes to values that will lead to particular behaviour. Ethics, therefore, are in effect the rules that translate values into everyday life. At its most basic, ethics is about determining what is `wrong' , `good' , `bad' or `right', and ethical choices are informed by values which help actors decide on what option to take when faced with an ethical dilemma.   While the values of different bureaucracies may vary between states, similar ethical challenges are routinely met, particularly in respect of issues of resource management. It is because of conflicts between ethical and unethical behaviour that codes (or Standards) of conduct and rules of procedure have emerged in importance. They provide an aide or benchmark against which decisions can be made and acted upon. In his work on changing public sector values. Van Wart argues that ethics are a sub-set of values, and that values from our broad, socially derived ethical standards for how the world should operate. Ethics, is doing the right thing, that is, acting on values. Values inform all aspects of ethical decision-making - ethical judgment, ethical choice and ethical behaviour- and are reinforced by them.

Values cannot be negative or positive - rather, how they are used to inform decisions and performance can be viewed from negative or positive viewpoints. For example, confidentiality as a value may be interpreted in a positive manner ( provides for trust between an organisation and its customers) or negatively (it inhibits transparency). In a similar vein, not all values are ethical values (i.e. concerned with right and wrong), and values may be unethical or non-ethical. Also, some ethical values, including fairness and honesty, are more germane to the public service than others.