Discussion 4 - Analyzes the positions of top public officials

Db 4

 This article analyzes the positions of top public officials on an equity?efficiency trade?off and the determinants of those positions. 

Fernández, G. M., & Van de Walle, S. (2019). Equity or efficiency? Explaining public officials’ values. Public Administration Review, 79(1), 25–34.

Having read about the Flint, MI, water crisis, discuss the regulatory and organizational ethical failures that contributed to the crisis. Then, looking at the larger picture, discuss your thoughts on the role of equity, efficiency, and relativism in delivering essential public services.

Do the needs of a democratic society to hold public servants to high ethical standards conflict with the efficient functioning of its bureaucracy?  Provide an example from the public or non-profit sectors where ethical standards or conduct may have either promoted or hindered bureaucratic needs and explain why.