Managing Politics? Ethics Regulation and Conflicting Conceptions of “Good Conduct”

Abstract

Concern for fostering trust in public institutions has prompted many governments to invest in systems of ethics regulation, embracing various dimensions of good governance. This article assesses the impact of ethics regulation on the conduct of English local politicians using Foucauldian perspectives on government, power, and resistance. The research finds that ethics regulation encountered problems when politicians resisted the models of political identity and behavior that it was perceived to promote. Particular concentrations of misconduct complaints were identified in which politicians believed that changes to political management structures, designed to make local governance more effective, caused a loss of voice for elected representatives. Ethics regulation itself sometimes served as a device for controlling others and effecting resistance. The article concludes with reflections on how far we should expect political conduct to be managed by such regulatory practices.

Does Ethical Leadership Matter in Government? Effects on Organizational Commitment, Absenteeism, and Willingness to Report Ethical Problems

“…Given this emphasis on the moral person, it is not surprising that so many public sector organizations rely on their senior leadership to establish and support an ethical climate (Berman, West, and Cava ; Bruce ; West and Berman ). Empirical evidence also supports the importance of ethics for good governance and democracy (Cowell, Downe, and Morgan ) because it predicts satisfaction with government services, trust in government, and the amount of citizen participation (Vigoda‐Gadot ; Villoria, Van Ryzin, and Lavena ).…”

Institutional trustworthiness and national security governance: Evidence from six European countries

“…Evidence from South Korea suggests that public trust in national government can be enhanced by initiatives addressing performance, transparency, citizen participation, and the exercise of democratic rights (Kim & Lee, 2012). In Europe and the United States, local initiatives designed to repair trust and stimulate political participation such as e-government (Tolbert & Mossberger, 2006), ethics regulation (Cowell, Downe, & Morgan, 2014), and participatory decision making (Cooper, Knotts, & Brennan, 2008), have met with some success, but trust in national government remains low. Low trust in government is interpreted as a barometer of dissatisfaction with government programs, party polarizations, and economic change, among other things (Kim, 2010).…”

Making Corruption Disappear in Local Government

“…In the United Kingdom, ethical standards for local councils under the Local Government Act 2000 were introduced following a series of corruption scandals over the preceding decades (Lawton & Macaulay, 2014: 77). A decade later, the UK reforms were rolled back following the return of a national Conservative government wanting to remove bureaucratic and centralized control over local councils (Cowell, Downe, & Morgan, 2014;Lawton & Macaulay, 2014). The interest in corruption at the local level has only received marginal attention in Australia.…”