HomeMy WebLinkAboutStudy Session #6 - Overview of Applied Ethics, Code of Condu (2) �NTiNGT 2000 Main Street,
0�0 °tip Huntington Beach,CA
City of Huntington Beach 9264$
File #: 23-250 MEETING DATE: 3/21/2023
Overview of Applied Ethics, Code of Conduct and Conflicts of Interest Best Practices
7k }C1/4 #b ('3- -U)
City of Huntington Beach � I Page 1 of 1 Printed on 3/16/2023
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0 Markkula Center
for Applied Ethics
at Santa Clara University
Applied Ethics, Codes of Conduct,
and Conflicts of Interest
Pre-read materials for Workshop for the
City of Huntington Beach, CA
March 21 , 2023
Presented by John P. Pelissero, PhD
Senior Scholar in Government Ethics, MCAE, Santa Clara University
Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Loyola University Chicago
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
Vari Hall I Santa Clara University 1500 El Camino Real I Santa Clara, CA 95053
408-554-5319
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0 Markkula Center
for Applied Ethics
at Santa Clara University
What is Ethics?
Ethics refers to standards and practices that tell us how human beings ought to act in the many
situations in which they find themselves—as friends, parents, children, citizens, public officials,
businesspeople, professionals, and so on. Ethics is also concerned with our character. It
requires knowledge, skills, and habits.
Government ethics applies to the processes, behavior, and policy of governments and the
public officials who serve in elected or appointed positions. The role of government and its
officials is to serve the public interest with ethical awareness and ethical actions. When
governments serve the public interest and avoid engaging in behavior that promotes any
private interests, they are acting for the common good.
A public official must not use her or his position for personal gain and should avoid even the
appearance of having a conflict of interest. An ethical awareness of the obligation to act in the
public interest will normally promote fairness and justice, and advance the common good.
Many governments have adopted a "code of ethics" to guide their public officials.
One may view government ethics as part of the broader field of political ethics that Dennis F.
Thompson (International Encyclopedia of Ethics,June 29, 2019) explains as covering "...the
ethics of process, which focuses on public officials, the methods they use, and the institutions in
which they act; and the ethics of policy, which concentrates on judgments about the policies
and laws governments make." Political ethics also extends to political processes of a democracy
that includes the ethics of elections, campaigns, and voting.Just as governments and their
officials must act with ethical awareness, so too do those who run for political offices, engage in
political campaigning, and vote in elections.
What ethics is NOT:
• Ethics is not the same as feelings. Feelings do provide important information for our
ethical choices. At times, our feelings will tell us that it is uncomfortable to do the right
thing if it is difficult.
• Ethics is not the same as religion. Many people are not religious but act ethically, and
some religious people act unethically. Religious traditions can develop and advocate for
high ethical standards.
• Ethics is not the same thing as following the law. A good system of law does
incorporate many ethical standards, but law can deviate from what is ethical.
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• Ethics is not the same as following culturally accepted norms. Cultures can include
both ethical and unethical customs, expectations, and behaviors. It is important to be
culturally sensitive to others and to recognize how one's ethical views can be limited by
one's own cultural perspective or background.
• Ethics is not science.The social and natural sciences can provide important data to help
us make better and more informed ethical choices. But science alone does not tell us
what we ought to do.
Applied Ethics Approaches
If our ethical decision-making is not solely based on feelings, religion, law, accepted social
practice, or science, then on what basis can we decide between right and wrong, good and
bad? Many philosophers, ethicists, and theologians have helped us answer this critical question.
They have suggested a variety of different lenses that help us perceive different ethical
dimensions. Here are six of them:
The Rights Lens
Some suggest that the ethical action is the one that best protects and respects the moral rights
of those affected. This lens starts from the belief that humans have a dignity based on their
human nature per se or on their ability to choose freely what to do with their lives. On the basis
of such dignity, humans have a right to be treated as ends in themselves and not merely as
means to other ends.The list of moral rights—including the rights to make one's own choices
about what kind of life to lead, to be told the truth, to not be injured, to a degree of privacy,
and so on—is widely debated; some argue that non-humans have rights, too. Rights are also
often understood as implying duties—in particular, the duty to respect the rights and dignity of
others. Demonstrating awareness of the rights lens is an important one for governments
because of the value of constitutional and civil rights in our democracy.
The Justice Lens
Justice is the idea that each person should be given their due, and what people are due is often
interpreted as fair or equal treatment. Equal treatment implies that people should be
treated as equals according to some defensible standard such as merit or need, but not
necessarily that everyone should be treated in the exact same way in every respect. There are
different types of justice that address what people are due in various contexts, ranging from
social justice to distributive justice to restorative justice. Democracy is founded on principles
that are linked to fairness and justice for all,thus the Justice lens is important to the role of
government.
The Common Good Lens
According to the common good lens, life in community is a good in itself and our actions should
contribute to that life. This approach suggests that the interlocking relationships of society are
the basis of ethical reasoning and that respect and compassion for all others—especially the
vulnerable—are requirements of such reasoning.This approach also calls attention to the
common conditions that are important to the public interest and the welfare of everyone-
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such as clean air and water, a system of laws, effective police and fire departments, health care,
a public educational system, or even public recreational areas. Governments have a special
obligation to act in the public interest and to demonstrate awareness of the common good in
all of its decisions.
The Utilitarian Lens
Utilitarianism, a results-based approach, says that the ethical action is the one that produces
the greatest balance of good over harm for as many stakeholders as possible. It requires an
accurate determination of the likelihood of a particular result and its impact. For example, the
ethical government action is the one that produces the greatest good for people and does the
least harm for all who are affected—citizens, residents, the community, and the environment.
Sometimes viewed as an alternative approach to the "common good",governments attempt
to maximize those who benefit and minimize those who may be harmed, while rejecting any
pattern of bias.
The Virtue Lens
A very ancient approach to ethics argues that ethical actions ought to be consistent with certain
ideal virtues that provide for the full development of our humanity. These virtues are
dispositions and habits that enable us to act according to the highest potential of our character
and on behalf of values like truth and beauty. Honesty, courage, compassion, generosity,
tolerance, integrity, self-control, and prudence are all examples of virtues. Virtue ethics asks of
any action, "Is this action consistent with my acting at my best?" Public officials—elected or
appointed—are expected to demonstrate virtuous behavior, including honesty,transparency,
and integrity.
The Care Ethics Lens
A recent expansion of our understanding of applied ethics includes care ethics, which is rooted
in relationships and in the need to listen and respond to individuals in their specific
circumstances, rather than merely following rules or calculating utility. Care ethics holds that
options for resolution must account for the relationships, concerns, and feelings of all
stakeholders. Focusing on connecting intimate interpersonal duties to societal duties, an ethics
of care might counsel, for example, a more holistic approach to public health policy that
considers health care access, food security, housing support, and environmental protection
alongside physical health. Care for residents,the community, and the environment are
important standards for governments.
Making Decisions
Making good ethical decisions requires a trained sensitivity to ethical issues and a practiced
method for exploring the ethical aspects of a decision and weighing the considerations that
should impact our choice of a course of action. Having a method for ethical decision-making is
essential. When practiced regularly, the method becomes so familiar that we work through it
automatically without consulting the specific steps. The more novel and difficult the ethical
choice we face, the more we need to rely on discussion and dialogue with others about the
dilemma. Only by careful exploration of the problem, aided by the insights and different
perspectives of others, can we make good ethical choices in such situations.
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A framework for ethical decision-making is intended to serve as a practical tool for
exploring ethical dilemmas and identifying ethical courses of action.
•
A FRAMEWORK FOR ETHICAL.
DECISION MAKING
RECOGNIZE AN ETHICAL ISSUE GET THE FACTS
1.Could has Ir o rlon ar sitiiation ttarnaping to 3 What arc the relevant farts of he r as,?What farts arc
somoono or to see r-group?Docs'his dec ision involve not known?Can I learn more about the ;lleatino for
a choice between a good ana bad iidternative,or a t:rw enough to make a d.:pion^
perhaps between iwo"gorrils"or between two"'gads"? 4 What individuals and grasps have an imporant slake in
2.Is this issue about more than what is legal or w!:at the outcome?Are some concerns more i rportart Why%
most e fi.le ti.'If!rip,bra.. 5 What are the options for acting? lave all the relevant
persons and grc,tps been consulted?Have I identifies;
creative options?
EVALUATE ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS
6.Evaluate the options by asking the tollswing questions:
•Which option will prodder the rr_s':good and do the leas;harm?(-he Utilitarian Lens)
•Whirr rrptior bast resprr is the rights of all who have a stake?(The Wets Lees)
•N,'tiich option treats puople'equally or prrap„rtionately.(he Jesmrnens)
•Wheir of bnr r.st serve :e :rim roily as a whole,n r just acme r m,t bers?(The Common GorxlLens)
•WI WI I IC.S DO lnr Erads me.ha acE.as IIn,sort it,r. s-n I ward to beq(The.Yrwe Lens)
•Which option will demonstrate care for the concerns of all stakeholders?(The Care Lens)
MAKE A DECISION AND TEST IT ACT AND REFLECT ON THE
7.Considering at these ap,aroacr, s,Which .pti ir.best OUTCOME
addresses the situation?
8.It l told s Li:_ r res„ .t=ar to ,a te.cavlslon 9,How can my de i",: iplemer l d with thegreatest
codlelice-which o�ion I haver.naser what would �arc and attention to the cncerns of ell stakeholders?
they say? la Now did my rierision turn :ut and what have I learred
[min this speake situation:'
MARKKU'LA CENTER
'4 FOR APPLIED ETHICS
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Goals for a Code of Ethics in Municipal Governments
1. Reflect the core values of the community.
2. Promote mutual respect and trust within government.
3. Encourage ethical awareness and ethical behavior among public officials.
4. Establish the highest standards for personal and professional conduct.
5. Avoid the appearance of unethical behavior.
6. Provide a process to resolve ethical issues in a respectful, non-adversarial
fashion.
Guidelines for Code of Ethics
Institute for Local Government, Sacramento, CA:
"Because public trust and confidence is vital to the strength of a democratic system, ethics laws
sometimes set very high standards for public official conduct. Even though public officials may
feel at times that some of these high standards of conduct are unduly burdensome or intrusive
of their private lives, they must accept that adhering to these standards, including broad
financial disclosure rules for gifts and income, is simply part of the process of public service."
https://www.ca-ilg.org/post/EthicsBestPractices
Sample Ethics Codes in State and Local Governments
State of California:
Overview of Fair Political Practices Act:
https://www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/public-officials-and-employees-rules-.html
Codes of Conduct:
• City of Santa Clara
• City of San Jose
Conflict of Interest:
• CA Fair Political Practices Commission
• League of California Cities
Campaign ethics:
• City of San Diego
• Code of Fair Campaign Practices
Additional resources
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics: https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/
For more information, contact: John Pelissero, PhD, Senior Scholar in Government Ethics, MCAE
ipelissero@scu.edu
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