ETHICAL CONCEPTS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: THE CHANGE OF ETHICAL CONCEPTS FROM PAST TO PRESENT

Abstract

The objective of this research is to study the ethical concepts in public administration, focusing on the change of ethical concepts from past to present. Methodology used in the study is documentary research. The findings show that, over a period of more than 13 decades since the establishment of the public administration as a field of study, the ethical concepts in public administration can be divided into three ages. They are: (1) ethics in traditional public administration (TPA), which is based on the rules and concepts of efficiency; (2) ethics in new public administration (NPA), which is based on social justice and decision-making from internal consciousness of person; and (3) ethics in new public management (NPM), which is based on result-based management and customer oriented. Moreover, in this research, the researcher has analyzed that the change of ethical concepts is due to two main causes: (1) each ethical concept has its own weaknesses and shortcomings, and (2) various contexts of the world such as politics, economy, society, and technology; change.