The Ethics Challenge in Public Service

A Problem-Solving Guide

Stuart C. Gilman, Kimberly L. Nelson, Carol W. Lewis

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN: 9781394276554
• eBook ISBN: 9781394276561
• Edition: 4
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Government & Business
• Index: Business

Newly revised edition of the classic text for ethics in public service

Since it was first published in 1991, The Ethics Challenge in Public Service has become the classic text on public sector ethics used by public managers and in public administration programs across the country. This essential text features strategies, tactics, analytic tools, and on-the-job cases that have become invaluable for public managers and staff resolving ethical dilemmas. A digital instructor's guide is available that has resources, discussion questions, and slide templates for each chapter.

This thoroughly revised and updated Fourth Edition features a wealth of new material on topics including:

• The ethics of information (e.g., social networking, Wikileaks, information management, and e-government)
• The interaction between the branches of government, including expanded coverage of the role of the judiciary
• Global trends and links with practical concerns of American and international readers
• Determining the public interest and understanding how members of the public, administrators, and elected officials can work towards achieving this interest
• The relationship between ethics and accountability in government.

The Ethics Challenge in Public Service is an ideal textbook for foundation courses in public administration as well as for courses in public sector ethics. It also serves as a valuable tool for public managers who work in a world filled with ethical challenges—the grey areas of decision-making rather than those that are black and white.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Preface
• Introduction
• PART I: Ethical Duties of Public Managers
• PART II: Tools for Individual Decision-Making
• PART III: Ethics and the Organization
• Afterword
• Resource A: Glossary
• References
• Author Biographies
• Index
• End User License Agreement