MPA Ethics and Accountability in Public Administration 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'transparency' mean in the context of public administration ethics?
- Using clear language in government communications
- Openness about government decision-making processes, reasoning, and information so citizens can hold officials accountable (Correct answer)
- Making government websites accessible to people with disabilities
- Requiring public comment periods before all agency actions
Correct answer: Openness about government decision-making processes, reasoning, and information so citizens can hold officials accountable
Transparency means government operates openly, sharing information about its decisions, spending, and processes so that citizens and oversight bodies can scrutinize and hold it accountable.
Question 2: The Inspector General (IG) offices in U.S. federal agencies are primarily responsible for:
- Setting agency budget priorities
- Conducting independent audits and investigations to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse within the agency (Correct answer)
- Defending agency actions before Congress
- Reviewing agency regulations for legal compliance
Correct answer: Conducting independent audits and investigations to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse within the agency
IGs are independent watchdogs within agencies who conduct audits and investigations, report findings to both agency heads and Congress, and have no program management responsibilities.
Question 3: What is 'administrative ethics' primarily concerned with?
- The technical efficiency of government operations
- The values, norms, and standards of conduct that guide the behavior of public administrators in their official roles (Correct answer)
- The legal requirements for agency rulemaking procedures
- The demographic diversity of the public workforce
Correct answer: The values, norms, and standards of conduct that guide the behavior of public administrators in their official roles
Administrative ethics deals with the principles and standards — integrity, fairness, accountability, and public interest — that should guide the decisions and conduct of government officials.
Question 4: Which corruption control mechanism requires public officials to publicly disclose their financial holdings and interests?
- Procurement auditing
- Financial disclosure requirements (Correct answer)
- The revolving door rule
- Freedom of Information requests
Correct answer: Financial disclosure requirements
Financial disclosure requirements mandate that public officials report their assets, income, and financial interests so that potential conflicts of interest can be identified and scrutinized by the public and oversight bodies.
Question 5: What is the 'revolving door' problem in public administration ethics?
- The rapid turnover of political appointees between administrations
- The movement of individuals between government regulatory roles and private industry positions they once regulated, raising conflict-of-interest concerns (Correct answer)
- The practice of rotating career employees through multiple agencies
- Frequent changes in agency leadership causing policy instability
Correct answer: The movement of individuals between government regulatory roles and private industry positions they once regulated, raising conflict-of-interest concerns
The revolving door refers to officials moving between government regulatory roles and the industries they regulated (or lobbying those agencies), creating potential conflicts of interest and the risk that regulatory decisions favor future employers.
Question 6: Which concept describes the potential for individuals to take greater risks when they are protected from the consequences of their decisions?
- Adverse selection
- Moral hazard (Correct answer)
- Regulatory capture
- Agency drift
Correct answer: Moral hazard
Moral hazard occurs when individuals or organizations take on more risk because they do not bear the full consequences of their decisions, a concern in public programs where bailouts or insurance shield actors from risk.
MPA Ethics and Accountability in Public Administration 2
What does 'transparency' mean in the context of public administration ethics?