Governance carried out while keeping ethical concerns in mind. It is step ahead of good governance as it seeks to realize certain universally desirable values and not merely values of admin efficiency.
Important elements of ethical governance:
- Compassion
- Impartiality
- Selflessness
- Dedication to public service.
- Transparency
- Accountability
Challenges to ethical governance
- political challenges
- pol interference in policymaking
- emphasis on populist consideration rather than ethical gov
- even CSer focused on impressing pol bosses rather than ensuring public welfare
- pol exec controls control appointments, postings, transfers
- Institutional challenges
- concept of career civil services compromise dedication, resulting in compliance
- wide discretionary power, resulting in misuse of powers
- economic model adopted after independence vested excessive power in centralized form of government, creating conducive conditions for misuse of powers
- civil services by their very nature are secretive therefore compromising transparency and accountability
- Cser focus on preserving & enlarging their powers compromising principles of participatory governance
- Societal challenges
- society witnessed decline in morals, values, even civil servants, focusing more on accumulation of wealth than cause of public service
- operational challenges
- admin procedures complicated, designed to avoid errors in decision making => excessive delays
- govt inaccessible to common man
- CSer develop lack of empathy, compassion due to hierarchical nature of bureaucracy, that creates distance between citizens & CSer
- admin procedures complicated, designed to avoid errors in decision making => excessive delays