William Richter and Frances Burke have gathered an excellent set of materials—many of them new in this edition—focused on an important set of ethical issues that confront citizens in the United States and abroad. I expect the readings to stimulate spirited discussion in the classroom—and in the wider world, where pressures to shade the truth and to seek personal profit, ... Read morewhile undermining the public trust, can seem at times overwhelming.
Jameson W. Doig, Princeton University The book may find its greatest use in public administration classes and as a resource for Human Resources trainers. The thoughtful introductory essays and the careful editing of the readings to eliminate the unnecessary will also make the book inviting to any public administrators who wish to reflect upon and improve their profession in addition to working in it.
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Burke and Richter, in revising their first edition of Combating Corruption, Encouraging Ethics, have put together a first-rate compendium of ethical and moral insights. They juxtapose classical analyses of virtue and prudent public behavior with contemporary problems in a way that encourages students to engage these important ethical issues. The issues they raise in the text are as old as Aristotle and as new as 9/11, and the carefully chosen scholarly analyses and case studies challenge students to think for themselves. If you want a comprehensive survey of ethics and public service, this is it.
James Pfiffner, George Mason University Show Less