Integrity of Governance: An Examination of The Concept of Integrity in Relation to the Assessment of the Actions of Public Officials

The central research question of this thesis is ‘How can we define the concept of integrity for the purpose of realizing an adequate tool to normatively assess the actions of public officials in both a desirable and feasible way?’. The thesis aims to: (1) demonstrate how the relevant norms, values, virtues and principles relate to integrity in a fundamental way; (2) contribute to reducing the ambiguous nature of integrity of governance; (3) advance the ongoing process of defining integrity as an ‘essentially contested concept’. First, the thesis establishes that integrity should be regarded as an ‘essentially contested concept’, according to the conditions set out by Gallie (1956). Second, the thesis develops a ‘multidimensional account of integrity of governance’, as I contend that it is possible to formulate a sufficient definition of integrity in regard to particular contexts. The multidimensional account defines integrity of governance on the basis of five aspects, which are...Show moreThe central research question of this thesis is ‘How can we define the concept of integrity for the purpose of realizing an adequate tool to normatively assess the actions of public officials in both a desirable and feasible way?’. The thesis aims to: (1) demonstrate how the relevant norms, values, virtues and principles relate to integrity in a fundamental way; (2) contribute to reducing the ambiguous nature of integrity of governance; (3) advance the ongoing process of defining integrity as an ‘essentially contested concept’. First, the thesis establishes that integrity should be regarded as an ‘essentially contested concept’, according to the conditions set out by Gallie (1956). Second, the thesis develops a ‘multidimensional account of integrity of governance’, as I contend that it is possible to formulate a sufficient definition of integrity in regard to particular contexts. The multidimensional account defines integrity of governance on the basis of five aspects, which are indebted to existing philosophical accounts of integrity, and operate jointly as necessary elements to explain the wholeness of integrity of governance: (1) communityidentification (FL), which constitutes the formal limits; (2) community-constitution (ML 1) and standing for community values (ML 2) as the moral limits; and (3) the fundamental principles and moral norms and values (MC 1) and the framework of virtuous judgement (MC 2) as the moral content. Third, the thesis will exemplify how the multidimensional account accounts for several criticisms inherent in the existing philosophical theories of integrity, as well as argue that the potential objections of demandingness, disagreement, and indistinctiveness do not invalidate the multidimensional account.Show less

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Integrity of Governance: An Examination of The Concept of Integrity in Relation to the Assessment of the Actions of Public Officials