ABSTRACT
One might reasonably argue that administrative ethics has been a topic of sustained interest at least since the founding of Public Administration Review (PAR) in 1940 (Nigro and Richardson, 1990). One might even assert that administrative ethics has been of concern both to practitioners and scholars since the founding era of the United States (Richardson and Nigro, 1987). However, this chapter will maintain that the study of administrative ethics as an ongoing scholarly enterprise with the trappings of a subfield of academic inquiry does not predate the 1970s. Although there have been numerous articles dealing with administrative ethics in some way in PAR since 1940, as Nigro and Richardson have demonstrated, one does not find anything approximating a systematic and developmental treatment of the subject until the last three decades. Even during these years the study of administrative ethics has lacked sufficient emphasis on some of the elements necessary to come to full fruition as a developmental subfield. Through the 1990s the field of study has continued to develop rapidly, as reflected in the literature produced, treatment in conferences, and the creation of new institutions. Empirical research on administrative ethics has expanded, but still represents the area of the field of study needing the most development.
