ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the core values that define ethics and integrity in public service, inventories the research literature regarding ethical issues in public administration, identifies obstacles and challenges that confront public administrators who want to lead with integrity, and offers recommendations for becoming ethically competent. Efficiency, economy, and effectiveness have been the hallmark values of modern public administration ever since Woodrow Wilson declared that 'the field of administration is a field of business'. Ethics are involved in all manner of public activities, such as protecting the community from criminals, ensuring that confidential information does not get in the wrong hands, keeping people safe from human-created and environmental hazards. Integrity goes hand in hand with ethics but yet has some qualities that differentiate it from ethics. Consider how the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) approaches it. The ICMA (2008) identifies three dimensions of integrity: personal, professional, and organizational.
