The American constitution is supreme to other laws in the country; with this notion, public administration must follow the demand of the constitution. The constitution should be the overall law that governs issues and management of public institutions; in some instances, the constitution may have some bureaucracy that hinders efficiency among public administrators however it is normative that the administrators understand the requirements of the law and follow them.
In some cases, the constitution is seen to offer some stuck guidelines that are only needed to be followed for the general good of the law. Some scholars have argued that some of the demand made under the constitution lead to designs of inefficiency among public institutions.
Among public administration causes, there have been debates and recommendations that the rule of law should be taught; this is to facilitate knowledge among them and ensure when they are taking the oath of office, they understand what they are committing themselves to. In general the oath mandates them to uphold the rule of law and act ethically for the general good of the entire society (Rorh, 1982).
Ethics and Comparative Administration
Public servants of U.S. bureaucracy system are expected to uphold high degrees of ethics when working and performing their tasks; the general belief is that the constitution has some frameworks that can be used as the pillars of ethical code of conducts. The constitution should protect moral aspects of human being respecting ones fundamental rights and freedom.
According to the article, democracy has an effect on bureaucratic ethics, there is need to have freedom of choice and expression. Although the bureaucratic ethics notion, the system of operation that administrators should adopt should respect the rule of law and ensure that they perform their duties diligently, professionally, with the heart and the interests of the larger majority in their heart.
I agree with the argument that democratic governance is the foundation of bureaucratic ethics; this is so because when the ruling class adopts effective systems of governance, the policies they make will be ethical and for the general good of the society.
For example, the police are expected to ensure justice prevails in the society; they should have effective systems of administration. For instance, when a crime has been committed that calls for the use of public funds, police should not use the amounts selectively, they should have the same policy.
According to my belief, the society can attain high levels of bureaucratic ethics however there is need to have a central body that controls the flow and direction that behavior among administration officials follow. In the case that there is conflict of issues, the administrating central body should prevail. In a nation’s administration, democracy backed with the constitution stands a better chance to maintain bureaucratic ethics (Rorh, 2007).
Conclusion
In the administration of social policy, public officials should uphold professionalism, integrity, and ethical behavior. For uniformity, governments need to enact policies that reinforce the rule of law and administration of justice; the constitution is supreme thus it should have guidelines to governance frameworks that support ethical behavior among citizens.
Constitution as a course in tertiary education should not be limited to administrators but should be a common course in all professions; this will facilitate administration of justice and respect of fundamental rights freedoms.
References
Rorh, J. (1982). The Constitution in Public Administration: A Report on Education. American Review of Public Administration, 16(4), 429-440.
Rorh, J. (2007). Ethics and Comparative Administration: A Constitutional Commentary. American Review of Public Administration, 10(1), 65-74.