Conduct a 15 - 30 minutes personal interview with at least three public officials; one top executive-level official - (e.g., a Governor or Lt. Governor, a Sheriff, a university president, head of a public/non profit organization, or any relatively high level position in government), one mid-level administrator - (e.g. a county administrator, a city manager, a city mayor or any relatively mid-level position in government), and one field administrator/bureaucrat delivering services at the grass-roots/street level - (e.g. a police officer, fire-fighter, teacher, postman or any street-level position in government).
The aim of the exercise is to explore and highlight real-life ethical dilemmas, to gain valuable insights as to how real-life ethical issues are dealt with in the public sector, and to share with the class the varying approaches taken by public officials. Taking notes is essential because your work must be based on substantial information. However, confidential information and names should not be revealed without the prior consent of the interviewees.
Please use the following questions as a guide:
As a public official, have you ever encountered any ethical problems or issues that you had to address in your capacity as __? (If the answer to this question is no, discontinue the interview and find another public servant to interview)
Could you explain to me as clearly as possible the details of an ethical problem/concern you have experienced? What exactly happened?
Was the problem resolved?
How did you address such a situation? Please explain
Were there any lessons to be learned from this experience? If so, what were the lessons learned?
Students are expected to prepare a total of 1-4 page(s) concise written response of the ethical dilemma faced by the three public officials interviewed. You are expected to summarize the interviews and discuss how you would have addressed the ethical dilemmas identified.