Transparency

• Author: Suzanne J. Piotrowski
• DOI: 10.1177/0095399713519098
• Published date: 01 March 2014
• Date: 01 March 2014
• Subject Matter: Articles

Administration & Society

2014, Vol. 46(2) 181 –189

© The Author(s) 2014

DOI: 10.1177/0095399713519098

aas.sagepub.com

Article

Transparency: A Regime

Value Linked With Ethics

Suzanne J. Piotrowski1

Abstract

The argument presented in this article is a relatively basic one but one that

has been overlooked by students of public administration ethics. The analysis

is grounded in the writing and ideas of John A. Rohr. Rohr’s body of work

includes a focus on ethics and regime values. I show that transparency and

ethics are two terms frequently conflated in common usage. Rohr developed

the concept of regime values, which is a central component of this article.

My first key point is that governmental transparency fits the definition of a

regime value laid out by Rohr. Second, while transparency and ethics are

frequently conflated, ethics is conceptually broader than transparency.

Keywords

transparency, ethics, regime values, accountability, secrecy

Introduction

Transparency and ethics are two concepts frequently used in tandem in public

discourse. Consequently, these concepts are frequently muddled together. For

example, Transparency International, which describes itself as a global coali-

tion against corruption, publishes the widely cited Corruption Perceptions

Index (Transparency International, 2002). The UN Programme on Public

Administration provides advisory services on a number of topics including

the area of “Ethics, Transparency and Accountability.” This division of the

1Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA

Corresponding Author:

Suzanne J. Piotrowski, Center for Urban and Public Service, School of Public Affairs and

Administration, Rutgers University, 111 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102, USA.

Email: spiotrow@andromeda.rutgers.edu

519098AASXXX10.1177/0095399713519098Administration & SocietyPiotrowski

research-article2014