Problems of Ethics in Public Administration

Published on 24 Nov 2025

Ethical Issues in Administration

Ethical issues in administration mainly arise when there is limited accountability, excessive discretionary powers, political interference, limited internal checks and balances. The ethical issues in administration manifests itself in the forms of corruption, maladministration etc.

• Corruption: Transparency International defines corruption as “The abuse of entrusted power for private gain”. In India, Corruption remains endemic and deep-rooted. India is ranked at 85 among 180 countries in the Corruption Perception Index (2022).

• Example:  Commonwealth Games (CWG) scam, 2 G Spectrum scam 

• Maladministration: It involves ‘administrative action or inaction’ resulting from improper considerations or conduct. It includes delay in taking action, failure to follow procedures or the law, inadequate record-keeping, failure to provide information etc.

• Example: Denial of the benefits of a government scheme to the citizen due to maladministration.

• Favouritism: It is the act of favouring a person not because of their merit but rather because of some extraneous feature like membership in a favoured group, personal likes and dislikes, etc. Favouritism can be demonstrated in hiring, honouring, or awarding contracts.

• Example: ICICI former CEO Chanda Kochher had displayed favouritism to her husband’s entity in sanctioning loans, Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh

• Bribery: The act of promising, giving, receiving, or agreeing to receive money or some other item of value with the corrupt aim of influencing a public official in the discharge of his official duties. According to Transparency international, seven out of 10 people in India, pay a bribe to access public services.

• Example: Recently, the CBI caught an IAS Officer who was working as the land acquisition arbitrator while accepting a Rs 8 lakh bribe to award higher land-acquisition compensation.

• Departmentalism: It is the strong emphasis upon or partiality for division into departments especially at the expense of the whole. There is a lack of convergence of departments of government in working toward the common goal of Public Welfare.

• Example:  The standoff between the public works department (PWD) and the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) over digging up the newly finished roads in the state.

Civil servants must be familiar with all the potential ethical issues and be ready with the mechanisms and tools to fight against these issues when they appear. As the saying goes “forewarned is forearmed”.

Causes of decline in ethical standards 

• Political Interference: It leads to lack of independence, demoralization of officers and hindering their ability to gain domain expertise due to constant transfers between departments.

• Lack of Strong Public Opinion against Corruption: People often avoid reporting corruption to the government and instead offer bribes to secure the acceptance of their legitimate and illegitimate claims.

• Administrative Secrecy: Secretiveness has been a key factor that has enabled public officials and politicians to get away with corruption. In the name of public interest, private interests are served while maintaining secrecy.

• Poor incentives and perks: The lack of fair salary scales and the desire to appear prestigious through material possessions have led some individuals to succumb to temptations.

• Patronization: It can be defined as being supported by someone in the upper position. The post-retirement job offers to civil servants based on patronage can influence their actions while they are in service.

• Lack of adequate whistle-blower protection: The Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2014, aimed at investigating corruption and misuse of power by public servants, lacks clear standards for the meaning of victimization, leading to whistle-blowers often remaining anonymous due to fear of repercussions.

• Undue Protection given to the Public Services in India: Article 311 of the Indian Constitution which provides protection to civil servants, as interpreted by our courts, made it difficult to deal effectively with corrupt public servants. 

Consequence of decline in ethical values in public administration

• Loss of public trust in the government machinery: Trust is the foundation of a functioning democratic system, loss of trust in government is the biggest threat to democracy.

• Causes Income inequality: Due to maladministration, there is a tendency for wealth to be concentrated in the hands of a small majority of the population, while the rest struggle to make ends meet.

• Threatens Democracy: There is a disturbing link between corruption and the health of democracies, where countries with higher rates of corruption also have weaker democratic institutions and political rights.

• Hinders Development of the Nation: Corruption in administration hinders effective transfer and utilisation of funds in public welfare and other infrastructural projects.

• Deters good people from entering into administration: The corrupt image of the administration prevents able and ethical persons from entering and contributing to the public service.

• Sets bad precedent: Unethical conduct by officials sets a bad precedent for the next generation of administrators to follow, thus leading them into the vicious cycle of corruption. 

Tags:
Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

Keywords:
Problems of Ethics in Public Administration ethics in public administration ethics in administration Ethical Issues in Administration Maladministration corruption favouritism Bribery departmentalism Causes of decline in ethical standards Article 311 Administrative Secrecy Consequence of decline in ethical values in public administration

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 4

Topics:
Public Service Values