Ethics in Public and Private Relations

• Focus: Role of ethics, how they impact each other.

Difference between Public and Private Relations:

Feature	Private Relations	Public Relations
Area of Influence	Limited (Home)	Wide spread (e.g. District)
Closeness	More Closeness	Less Closeness
Formality	Less Formality	More Formality
Basis	Emotions, Mutual Affection, Trust	Law, Rules, Code of Conduct
Nature	Subjective	Objective
Binding	Morally Binding (Social Criticism for violation)	Legally Binding (Legal Action for violation)
Stability	Relatively Stable	Less Stable
Examples	Friends, Family, Close Relatives	Civil Servants, Colleagues

Key Elements of Ethics

• Public Relations:

  • Honesty & Integrity
  • Politeness & Respect
  • Rule of Law
  • Accountability
  • Impartiality
  • Transparency

• Private Relations:

  • Sacrifice
  • Privacy
  • Mutual Respect
  • Trust
  • Affection
  • Care
  • Truthfulness

Separation of Public and Private Relations:

• Ideally: Should be separate
• Why?
  • Different scopes of work
  • Influence can lead to conflict of interest and nepotism
  • Evaluated differently (Private: Relationship quality; Public: Duty, Integrity)
  • Different natures.
• Reality: Complete separation isn't possible
  • No relation is completely private or public
  • Separation makes management difficult - constantly balancing.

Impact of Public Relations on Private Relations:

• Positive:

  • Success in public life leads to healthy private relations
  • Acts as a role model
  • Skills learned in public life can be used in private life (discipline, time management, etc.)

• Negative:

  • Insufficient time for personal relations
  • Stress from public life spills over into private life

Impact of Private Relations on Public Relations:

• Positive:

  • Management skills from private life transferable (e.g., emotion management)
  • Healthy private life allows for efficient discharge of public duties
  • Moral support helpful in difficult situations

• Negative:

  • Prejudices from private life reflected in public life
  • Stress from private life impacts public life
  • Difficult to balance.

Prioritization:

• Civil Servants must prioritize public relations due to their position.
• People with high moral standards prioritize public life even without a public post.

Regulation: Codes of Conduct

• Purpose: To regulate both public and private lives of civil servants.
• Types:
  • Code of Conduct for Private Life:
    • No Polygamy
    • No dowry (taking or giving)
    • Care for parents, spouse, children
    • No domestic violence
    • No child labor
    • Discourage conservative/superstitious beliefs
  • Code of Conduct for Public Life:
    • No accepting honors/awards without government permission
    • Official information not to be made public (unless under RTI)
    • Private individuals not included in government programs (unless beneficiaries)
    • No publicly criticizing government/policy
    • Do not encourage communalism, nepotism, casteism.

Differences: Code of Ethics vs. Code of Conduct

Feature	Code of Ethics	Code of Conduct
Definition	Set of principles based on ethics (right vs. wrong decisions)	Set of regulations/rules explaining appropriate behavior (circumstances)
Description	How decisions are made	How employees should act
Focus	Values	Rules, Laws, Compliance
Scope	Narrow Scope	Wide scope
Nature	General	Specific
Availability	Publicly Available	Only for Employees
Enforcement	Not always legally enforceable	Legally enforceable
Size	Relatively Small	Relatively Large (based on Code of Ethics)

Committees Related to Conduct

• Key takeaway: Remember the names (for 2-mark questions).
  • Lee Commission
  • Hota Committee
  • A.D. Gorwala Committee
  • Santhanam Committee (led to establishment of CVC)
  • Administrative Reforms Commission (1st & 2nd ARC)
  • Nolan Committee (UK, 1994)

Nolan Committee's Foundation Values for Civil Servants:

1. Selflessness – Act in the public interest, not for personal gain.
2. Integrity – Avoid personal or financial obligations that might influence decisions.
3. Objectivity – Base decisions on merit, without bias or favoritism.
4. Accountability – Be accountable to the public and subject to scrutiny.
5. Openness – Act transparently, providing reasons for decisions.
6. Honesty – Be truthful and straightforward in all dealings.
7. Leadership – Lead by example, upholding these principles in behavior.

Types of Integrity:

• Personal: Consistent thoughts/actions, learn from others' mistakes.
• Intellectual: Self-assessment with the same criteria and strictness used to evaluate others, no contradictions in ideals, identify and correct contractions.
• Professional: Follow code of conduct for the profession.

Philosophical Basis of Integrity:

• Deontological Thinkers:
  • Immanuel Kant: Categorical Imperative, moral rules must be followed, duty for duty's sake.
  • Bhagavad Gita: Swadharma (one's own duty).
• Intuitionists: Conduct should be according to conscience (intuition).
• Mahatma Gandhi: Purity of means and ends (truth and non-violence).
• Applied Ethics: Conduct should be according to code of business conduct.

Benefits of Integrity:

• Increased credibility
• Develops personality
• Faster Decision making
• Helps in resolving dilemmas

Leadership:

• Team spirit, credit to the team for success, leader accountable for failures.
• Visionary (future possibilities and challenges).
• Good follower (can't lead if can't follow).

Political and Moral Attitude of Administrator:

• Definition of Attitude:

  • Positive or negative viewpoint towards a psychological object (person, thing, thought)
  • Components:
    • Affective: sentiment
    • Cognitive: information
    • Behavioral: behavior

• Related to opinion, belief, and values

• Political Attitude:

  • Definition: Positive or negative viewpoint toward any political party, organization, leader, or ideology.

  • Basis:

    • Radical: not satisfied with current economic and social system (justifies violence)
    • Liberal: continuous improvement (no violence)
    • Moderate: small changes within system
    • Conservative: preserve culture (economy not as important)
    • Reactionists: want to implement old system (justifies violence)

  • Determinants of Political Attitude

1. Economic Factor – Wealthy individuals resist major changes; economically weaker people support change.

2. Age – Youth favor big changes; older people resist due to difficulty in adaptation.

3. Psychological Tendency – Aggressive individuals may support violence; calm people avoid it. Extroverts express political views more.

4. Family – Conservative families lead to conservative political attitudes; liberal families foster independent political views.

5. Religion – Religious individuals prioritize religious issues (e.g., Ram Mandir, Triple Talaq).

• Neutral:

  • Civil servant should be neutral

• Civil servant characteristics:

  • Does not support any party
  • Do not give donations
  • Have a right to vote that cannot be seen by the public Here are short, pointed notes based on the image:

Positive Attitude for Civil Servants

1. Rule of Law – Uphold legal principles and justice.

2. Sarvodaya – Welfare and upliftment of all.

3. Constitutional Values – Adherence to the principles enshrined in the Constitution.

4. Fundamental Values – Ethical and moral integrity in service.

5. Democratic Values – Support for democracy and public participation.

6. Secularism – Neutrality in religious matters.

7. Social, Economic, and Political Justice – Ensure fairness and equity in society.

8. Decentralization of Power – Promote local governance and grassroots participation.

9. Public Participation – Encourage citizen involvement in governance.

10. Scientific Temperament – Promote rational thinking and evidence-based decision-making.

11. Rationalism – Logical, unbiased approach to governance.

Moral Attitude

1. Definition – Positive and negative attitudes toward moral issues.

2. Basis – Rooted in beliefs about what is right and wrong.

3. Examples – Views on death penalty, euthanasia, etc.

4. Influences – Shaped by family, society, religion, and education.

5. Expectation from Civil Servants – Maintain high ethical standards for themselves and society.

• Morality and Administration:
  • Paul Apple:
    • Morality cannot be separated from administration
    • Features of moral administration:
      • Sense of Responsibility
      • Skills in communication
      • Ability to cultivate and utilize institutional resources
      • Willingness to engage in problem solving
      • Willingness to work with team
      • Personal confidence to initiate ideas
      • Preference to Public need/interest and sensitivities

Orientation of Civil Servants

1. Affection Level – Includes qualities like empathy, kindness, compassion, selflessness, public service, listening skills, conscience, and emotional intelligence.

2. Cognitive Level – Focuses on rationality, scientific thinking, a spirit of learning, and detachment.

3. Behavioral Level – Emphasizes hard work, sacrifice, impartiality, objectivity, integrity, and Nishkaam Karma (selfless action).