, PUB3707
ASSIGNMENT 2 SEMESTER 2
2026
DUE 28 AUGUST 2026
QUESTION1
Clapper's Views on Ethics for Public Administration and Management in the Twenty-First Century
Introduction
Valiant A. Clapper, as articulated in his foundational work on ethics for public administration and
management in the twenty-first century, presents a comprehensive philosophical framework that
addresses the intricate relationship between personal morality, professional standards, and
institutional codes of conduct. His views, as documented in the seminal work "Reflective Public
Administration: Ethics" edited by Wessels, Pauw and Thani (2014), provide a critical lens through
which contemporary public sector ethics can be examined. This essay evaluates Clapper's main
themes concerning ethics and morality, professionalism and ethical codes, and the evolution of
public sector ethics across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Ethics and Morality
Clapper's conceptualisation of ethics and morality in public administration is both nuanced and
foundational to his broader philosophical framework. He posits that ethics occupies a central
position in defining the identity of public officials, arguing that ethical considerations are not
peripheral activities but rather constitute an integral component of everything public officials
undertake (Wessels, Pauw & Thani 2014). This perspective fundamentally challenges the notion
that ethics can be compartmentalised or treated as an addendum to technical administrative
functions.
A significant contribution of Clapper's thought lies in his clear delineation between three distinct
ethical domains: personal ethics, professional ethics, and public service codes of conduct.
According to Clapper, these three categories each possess their own unique sources and normative
foundations, yet they must operate in harmony for effective public administration to occur
(Wessels, Pauw & Thani 2014). Personal morality, in Clapper's framework, refers to the individual's
internalised value system derived from family, culture, religion, and personal experience.
Professional ethics, by contrast, emerge from the standards and expectations of the public
administration profession itself, while codes of conduct represent formal institutional prescriptions
for behaviour.
ASSIGNMENT 2 SEMESTER 2
2026
DUE 28 AUGUST 2026
QUESTION1
Clapper's Views on Ethics for Public Administration and Management in the Twenty-First Century
Introduction
Valiant A. Clapper, as articulated in his foundational work on ethics for public administration and
management in the twenty-first century, presents a comprehensive philosophical framework that
addresses the intricate relationship between personal morality, professional standards, and
institutional codes of conduct. His views, as documented in the seminal work "Reflective Public
Administration: Ethics" edited by Wessels, Pauw and Thani (2014), provide a critical lens through
which contemporary public sector ethics can be examined. This essay evaluates Clapper's main
themes concerning ethics and morality, professionalism and ethical codes, and the evolution of
public sector ethics across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Ethics and Morality
Clapper's conceptualisation of ethics and morality in public administration is both nuanced and
foundational to his broader philosophical framework. He posits that ethics occupies a central
position in defining the identity of public officials, arguing that ethical considerations are not
peripheral activities but rather constitute an integral component of everything public officials
undertake (Wessels, Pauw & Thani 2014). This perspective fundamentally challenges the notion
that ethics can be compartmentalised or treated as an addendum to technical administrative
functions.
A significant contribution of Clapper's thought lies in his clear delineation between three distinct
ethical domains: personal ethics, professional ethics, and public service codes of conduct.
According to Clapper, these three categories each possess their own unique sources and normative
foundations, yet they must operate in harmony for effective public administration to occur
(Wessels, Pauw & Thani 2014). Personal morality, in Clapper's framework, refers to the individual's
internalised value system derived from family, culture, religion, and personal experience.
Professional ethics, by contrast, emerge from the standards and expectations of the public
administration profession itself, while codes of conduct represent formal institutional prescriptions
for behaviour.
