Ethics and Public Good in a Transforming State
A Study of Estonian Civil Servants
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11005932 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mikko Lagerspetz (0000-0001-8639-6971, Åbo Akademi University), Erle Rikmann (0000-0002-3383-5173, Tallinn University) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 402-421 |
| Publication date | 2009-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Scandinavian Political Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0080-6757 • E-ISSN: 1467-9477 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9477.2009.00236.x |
| OpenAlex | W1972431091 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 10 |
After Estonia's systemic change and restored independence in 1991, Estonian civil servants must re‐conceptualise their relationships with other spheres of society and with what they see as the ‘Public Good’. They are involved in the adoption and creation of new value judgments, professional identities and views of ethical and unethical conduct. This article presents an empirical examination of these processes. Carried out from June 2005 to January 2006, it makes use of group interviews (N = 58) and a national e‐mail questionnaire (N = 960) of civil servants. According to the results, the officially adopted Civil Service Code of Ethics is seldom relied upon. The idea of civil service as a vocation, preference for self‐regulating measures, suspicion towards external control and avoidance of media publicity are indicative of the respondents' view of the overall role of civil service in society. The paternalist attitude inherent in this discourse is considered in this article to be in line with the specific functions of a state still completing its systemic transformation
Business · Civil servants · Civil service · Estonian · Ethical code · Independence (probability theory · Paternalism · Political science · Preference · Public relations · Public service · Publicity · Service (business · Sociology · State (computer science · Value (mathematics · Ethics in Business and Education · Law · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Public Administration · Public Policy and Administration Research
| Citations per year | 0.07 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2012 - 2012 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |