Ethics in the public services – selected aspects

The article discusses various aspects of the theoretical foundations and genesis of the canon of ethics of the Polish public services. A well-functioning public administration is the foundation of the modern state. Working in the public services entails a great deal of responsibility as administration employees must meet certain special requirements. Society expects that the administration, serving its citizenry, act with the common good in mind, which requires that the officials possess a degree of ethical awareness. Officials responsible for decision-making must adhere to applicable laws, in addition to taking into consideration the public interest and the rights of citizens, which frequently leads to conflicts of interest, in particular on the interface of the administration, economy and politics. The purpose of this paper is to present the role of ethics in the functioning of public administration organs in a modern democratic state adhering to the rule of law. Ethical issues are closely related to the legal and institutional aspects of public administration – and should be analysed as such. The article discusses various theoretical and general aspects of the relations between law, morality and ethics, the role of ethics infrastructure in public administration and the institutional and legal instruments used to prevent pathological behaviours.