ABSTRACT
There is little need to emphasize the importance of ethical decision making and ethical behavior in public administration in this chapter, since numerous scholars have done this before (e.g., Martinez and Richardson 2011; Garofalo 2008; Maesschalck 2005; Bowman et al. 2004). They refer to public trust and confidence in light of a government’s legitimacy, to the discretionary power civil servants have, and to the damaging aftermath of scandals. These arguments also apply when assessing the importance of ethical competence in public administration.
