| dc.contributor.author | Turnbull, Lori B. | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2014-10-21T12:36:32Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2006 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2006 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.other | AAINR16719 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10222/54810 | |
| dc.description | Since the 1960s, the Canadian government has used written codes of conduct to respond to allegations of political corruption. Governments that use codes of ethics for politicians do so with at least the following two goals in mind: to encourage politicians to adhere to high ethical standards and to facilitate public trust in the government's integrity. Until recently, written codes in Canada applied only to cabinet ministers and public servants. In 2004, a code was written to monitor the ethical behaviour of ordinary parliamentarians. This is not surprising, given the international trend toward formal ethics regulation. For instance, both the United States and the United Kingdom have written ethics codes for legislators. | en_US |
| dc.description | Governments all over the world rely on formal ethics regimes, despite the lack of empirical evidence that they have an effect on politicians' behavior or the public's perception of it. After studying the written codes of conduct in use in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, I have found little evidence to indicate that written codes are effective at meeting their stated goals. In fact, my research shows that formal ethics rules might carry unintended negative consequences. | en_US |
| dc.description | My findings might lead some observers to conclude that written codes should be repealed. However, if a government were to do so, it would appear to be neglecting its responsibility to encourage high ethical standards. Therefore, to improve ethics rules' effectiveness, I recommend that the Canadian government engage both parliamentarians and the public in discussions on the current ethics regime and on proposals for reform. Consultations with MPs are not necessary to convince them to avoid corruption, as the vast majority of them do so already. However, if MPs were to discuss the importance of ethical principles such as honesty and integrity, they might change their attitudes toward each other and think twice before resorting to political mudslinging. A citizens' assembly to recommend changes to the ethics regime would help to repair the public's ignorance of the current political ethics rules. Further, meaningful public involvement might encourage a deeper faith in the system's ability to facilitate high ethical standards among politicians. | en_US |
| dc.description | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Dalhousie University (Canada), 2006. | en_US |
| dc.language | eng | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Dalhousie University | en_US |
| dc.publisher | | en_US |
| dc.subject | Philosophy. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Political Science, General. | en_US |
| dc.title | Chasing a phantom? A comparative analysis of codes of ethical conduct for legislators. | en_US |
| dc.type | text | en_US |
| dc.contributor.degree | Ph.D. | en_US |
