Ethics

Ethics Class 01
A brief Introduction to the subject: (1:03 PM)
• Syllabus:
• Theory:
• Ethics and human interface
• Human values: role of socialization
• Attitude
• Emotional Intelligence
• Moral Thinkers
• Aptitude and foundational values of civil servants
• Application:
• Ethics in Public Administration
• Probity in governance
• Case Studies based on the above topics
• 4 pillars:
• 1. Syllabus
• 2. Terminologies:
• Definition
• Attributes and characteristic features
• Examples - administrative, leadership, epics, personal
• 3. PYQs
• 4. Answer writing
Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude: (1:22 PM)
• Aptitude:
• It is the proficiency in a specific area
• It is a specialized ability and competence
• Ethics:
• It refers to the prescriptive code of conduct which determines the rightness and wrongness of
an act for an actor in a situation
• Integrity:
• It is following the path of righteousness across time and space
• Quote: "In looking for people to hire, we look for 3 qualities - integrity, aptitude, and energy.
However, we do not have the first the other two will kill you" - Warren Buffet.
Why do we study ethics/Significance of ethics: (1:37 PM)
• Individual Level:
• Sense of joy/happiness
• Reduce cognitive dissonance (mental discomfort created due to ambiguity or conflicting
values at the same time)
• Note: Cognitive dissonance is mental discomfort due to the existence of mutually
contradictory values, beliefs, attitudes, etc
• Improve credibility in society
• Quick decision making
• Helps resolve the dilemma between competing values
 • Enables smooth integration of individuals in society
• Reduce the probability of deviance
• A person who "walks the talk"
• Disciplined, sense of pride, etc
• Societal Level:
• Peace/harmony/stability
• Reduce crime - for socio-economic development
• Unity in diversity (as tolerance)
• Morally virtuous society
• Social inclusion of vulnerable sections
• Equal access to rights/opportunities/resources
• Will ensure social capital (mutual trust in the society)
Value, Attitude, Morals, Ethics (VAME): (2:00 PM)
• What are these concepts
• What are they made up of?
• Characteristic features:
• 1. Static vs Dynamic
• 2. Absolute vs relative
• 3. Culture-specific vs universal
• 4. Objective vs subjective
• Inter-relationships
• How do they develop - Socialisation
• Concepts:
• VAME is the mental construct that acts as an instrument of behavior regulation.
• It serves 3 purposes:
• It guides our decision making
• It influences our choices
• It directs our behavior
• What are these concepts made up of?
• 1. Belief:
• It is an internal feeling that something is true
• It is the idea or viewpoint which is held by society or the collective
• It can be rooted in traditions, superstitions, folklore, or verifiable facts
• Two people can have different beliefs about the same phenomenon
• There are two types of beliefs ie Core and Periphery
• Both can be challenged and peripheral beliefs can be changed also
• Belief generate emotions
• 2. Emotion:
• It is defined as the body's arousal which is the result of the reaction to an event (internal or
external)
• Emotions are expressed through actions and when expressed through appropriate action, it
gives us a sense of relief
• 3. Action tendency:
• Emotions generate the desire for action
• However, not necessarily, it will result in explicit behavior as we might be confronting specific
challenges
• Characteristic features:
• 1. Static vs Dynamic:
• They are relatively permanent
• They are the source of our identity ie who we are
 • They are the results of the massive investment of cost, time, and energy
• Any departure from the existing value might create a sense of guilt
• The change is accommodating by accepting different behavior under the same set of value
• However, there is an exception, where the value system undergoes a difference when the
environment changes drastically
• Eg Samarat Askok after Kalinga war; Angulimal, etc
• 2. Absolute vs relative:
• Absolute: VAME is constant and situational independent ie truth is a truth even if no one says
it, and a lie is a lie even if everyone says it
• There cannot be a wrong way of doing the right thing
• Eg Jumping traffic signals to save someone's life is not justified according to it
• Relative: It is context specific
• There is nothing right or wrong for all times to come as it depends upon the situation
• Absoluteness has a touch of rigidity whereas relativeness provides the flexibility which is
needed to operate successfully in the environment
• 3. Culture-specific vs universal:
• Values are adhesive, which binds people in society together
• For society to survive --> need for stability and harmony and --> value of consensus (one of
the pre-requisite)
• Hence, some values are culture-specific
• Indian society's specific values - strong religious orientation; collectivism, familial obedience,
etc
• However, some values are universal such as love, compassion, honesty, etc
• 4. Objective vs subjective:
• When the values are evaluated, independent of the ini
• However, mostly the values should be considered subjective as individual differences occur
based on perception, understanding and judgement
• Eg - perspective Plato, believed in the objectivity of values for example beauty. However, it
was refuted by the statement that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder
• Inter-relationships: Draw the flowchart/diagram of Beliefs, Values, Attitude,s and ethics
Topics for the next class: Continuation of Values, Attitude, Morals, Ethics, etc
Ethics Class 02
Recap of the last class (01:07 PM)
Happiness (01:20 PM)
• It refers to the state of mind which is characterised by the feeling of joy, satisfaction,
contentment etc.
• According to Aristotle, happiness is the highest good.
• Success might not lead to success but happiness leads to success.
• According to Lord Krishna, happiness is a state of mind which has nothing to do with the
external world.
• Happiness can be different from pleasure. For example, eating good food might give pleasure
but the guilt feeling might not make us happy. Working for deprived people might not be
pleasurable due to the sorry state of affairs, however, the sense of satisfaction can lead to
happiness.
• There can be different sources of happiness:
• Experiencing more pleasure and less pain.
• Attainment of the purpose of life.
• Reaching one's potential ensures personal growth.
Morals Vs Ethics: (01:40 PM)
• Parameters:
 • Morals and parameters:
• What is it - These are the principles held by the individual with respect to right or wrong ie the
principles of right behaviour which we use to judge the goodness or badness of human
character.
• Source - internal
• Why do we follow - because we believe in something being right or wrong
• What if we deviate - it might lead to the feeling of remorse, guilt, etc
• Flexibility - They are more subjective as it varies from individual to individual; non-consistent.
For example - defence, lawyers, doctors, etc
• Ethics and parameters:
• What is it - What should be the right way in which a person should act in a situation?
• Source - external
• Why do we follow - Because society says that it is the right thing to do
• What if we deviate - We might face social ostracisation
• Flexibility - since it is a collective proposition of society, more consistent etc.
Crisis of Conscience:
• It refers to the intuitive authoritative judgement regarding the moral quality of the action.
• It occurs when we have a dilemma in the options and we are compelled to take actions
against the conscience and when we do something wrong and there is a feeling of guilt that it
has created.
• Examples include there is a crisis of conscience when the witness is standing in the court,
and a dilemma with respect to short-term vision against long-term goals.
• Hence, wisdom, courage ad integrity is required to overcome such a crisis.
• "Conscience is a dog that can never bite but never stops barking".
Norms (02:03 PM)
• These are informal guidelines with respect to the behaviour of individuals in society.
• These are the set of rules or behaviour agreed upon by the societal members and are binding
on all.
• It is referred to as the social expectation that guides our behaviour
• They are the form of social control on individuals to ensure conformity, induce uniformity and
check deviance.
• It is expressed through customs, traditions, folklores, etc
• Non-conformity leads to social ostracization or social boycott
• A higher level of evolution of norms which is codified with respect to acceptable/non-
acceptable behaviour of an individual is called laws
Ethics and Laws: (02:10 PM)
• Ethics refers to well-founded standards of right and wrong which prescribe what humans
ought to do.
• Laws are based on an ethical framework and aim to bring social order while controlling the
immoral behaviour of the individual in society.
• Laws act as an external set of standards imposed on an individual by the govt.
• An individual disobeying the law is liable to face penalties and punishments.
• Ethics are enforced by society whereas laws are enacted by the appropriate authority.
• Any non-adherence to ethics leads to social exclusion whereas disobeying the law will attract
penalties and punishment.
• Laws have societal sanctions and thus, play a significant role in the smooth functioning of
society.
• Ethics act as a moral compass which guides behaviour. Even when the law is silent, ethics is
the first line of defence against deviance whereas laws are remedial and reactive.
 • Examples of legal but not ethical - abortion, suicide, adultery, or the railway's decision to
remove encroachment for example in Delhi was legal but doing that on a cold winter night is
not ethical, capital punishment, live-in-relationship, passive euthanasia, surrogacy,
• Examples of ethical but not legal - Robinhood concept, it is ethical to jump the traffic signal to
save the child, a hungry child stealing a loaf of bread etc.
Socialisation (02:50 PM)
• Concept:
• The mechanism through which a child is inducted into the society's culture. It is also a life-long
process where the culture of society is shaping the personality of the individual
• It is referred to as the process by which culture is transferred from one generation to the next,
individual develops his personality by learning the content of his culture.
• This process enables the individual to remain a useful and productive member of his society.
• Mechanism:
• Observation learning - the process of learning by watching others is called observation
learning. It occurs through social role models, parents, teachers, friends, etc.
• Rewards and punishment - With the display of desired behaviour, one is rewarded and one
with undesirable behaviour is punished.
• Role-taking - The process of imagining and visualizing oneself as someone else and acting
like him. In this process, while playing such roles, the individual is able to get the feeling of
others and suitably modify their response.
• Trial and error - learning through your own experiences. However, people should strive for
learning through the experiences of others as well.
• Agencies:
• Family-
• Family is an institution that fulfils the needs of value consensus by socializing the children in
their formative years by imparting societal values which help children conform to the norms
and roles required for integration into society. values such as honesty, love, empathy,
happiness, sacrifice, etc are given by family, sometimes through stories, life lessons, etc. Over
a period of time, the structure of the family has undergone a change that has affected their
preferences thereby changing the value system. The joint family leads to the development of
values like collectivism, cooperation, delayed gratification, reciprocal obligations etc. whereas,
in the case of the nuclear family, there is a development of values like individualism,
competition, consumerism and self-centricity.
• Factors affecting the socialisation by family:
• Style of Parenting:
• Role of Mother
• Role of Father
• Style of Parenting:(03:22 PM)
• Autocratic:
• Characteristic Features: They believe in restricting the autonomy of children. impose their
value system and the power distance is very large. In this case, either the child becomes too
hostile or too compliant.
• Values: Overall the values that develop are less cooperative, less compassionate, more self-
centric, likely to be biased, and more authoritative.
• Democratic:
• Characteristic Features: The interaction of the children with parents in a rational issue-based
manner which is based on equality, openness, and receptiveness to feedback. Parents exhibit
values of tolerance, patience, etc. They provide positive reinforcement for the display of
desired behaviour.
 • Values: It leads to the development of the following values among kids eg. objectivity,
empathy, impartiality, cooperation, etc.
• Permissive:
• Characteristic features: The parents are permissive i.e. they provide their children as much
freedom as is consistent with the child's physical survival. It is characterized by apathy,
neglect, indifference, etc.
• Values: The values that developed are a lack of courage, indifference, lack the tendency of
cooperation, lack of empathy, and increased tendency to identify with anti-social elements.
The topic of the next class is the continuation of Socialization.
Ethics Class 03
A brief overview of the previous class: 1: 05 PM
Continuation of the previous class topic- Socialization- 1:11 PM
• Role of mother in Socialization:
• Secure
• 1. Mothering is consistent.
• 2. The relationship between mother and child is warm.
• 3. The relationship is characterized by mutual trust, respect, etc.
• Insecure:
• 1. Indifferent/apathy/neglect.
• 2. Excessive indulgence
• 3. Mother making unrealistic demand
• Values: Under the Secure role of Mother
• High self-efficacy -Meaning- Strong belief in our ability to overcome the challenges
• High responsibility
• Assumption
• Courage
• Compassion etc.
• Values: Under the Insecure role of Mother
• Lack of confidence
• Indifferent/Docile/autocratic
• Lacks self-efficacy
• Lack of leadership
• Role of the father in Socialization-
• The father plays a significant role in the socialization of kids through observations, learning,
rewards, and punishment.
• Girls: They learn to make a heterosexual adjustment
• Boys: Learn gender-appropriate behavior
Question-Discuss the influence that parents have on the values of Children. Why is it that at times
values of children differ from that of parents? (10 marks, 150 words)
Education system- 1:38 PM
• Formal agency of socialization.
• Provides a platform where child interacts with those who are not family.
• Values- Honesty, tolerance, competition, achievement orientation.
• Prepares the child for their role in adulthood.
• Role of teacher
• 1. They are social role models for the children
• 2. It leaves a great impact on the children through their conduct.
• For example -unbiased treatment, commitment, timeliness, punctuality, walking the talks, etc.
• 3. The influence of the self-attribution factor
• 4. The teacher can further strengthen the learning by promoting activity-based learning.
 • Quote- You tell me I will forget, your team, me I may remember, you involve me I will learn.
• Role of Content-
• 1. Culture-specific inputs so as to facilitate the adjustment of the child. For example-
elementary education in the mother tongue, vocational training, and storytelling.
• 2. Educational content should be based on scientific temper without any ideological
coloration.
• 3. There should be a proper sync between text and context.
• 4. The evaluative standards should not be parochial (narrow). (refer to national education
policy document).
• Role of Extracurricular activities:
• 1. It helps in developing team-building spirit, cooperative behavior, commitment, leadership
skills, responsibility assumption, and achievement orientation.
Question- Value education empowers the person to confront the challenges of contemporary
Indian society (10 marks, 150 words)
Discussion of the above Question- 2:09 PM
• Value education prepares the young generation to develop their creative ways to respond to
westernization.
• Strong values will teach them to learn progressive developments along with retaining the
original character of their culture.
• Right education towards Globalization can serve as a vehicle of interconnectivity and
interdependence.
• It can guide individual actions based on fairness, constructive attitude, and wisdom, to
differentiate between the potential and pitfall of science and technological advancements.
• Value education helps us to be considerate towards weaker sections and fight the challenges
of prejudice.
Peer Group- 2:22 PM
• Interaction among co-equals
• The range of topics is very wide.
• Influence is at its peak during adolescence (High chances of negative socialization so the role
of the family is important)
• Socializes us with respect to-
• 1. Life goals
• 2. Occupational goals
• 3. Behavior tendency
Religion:
• Refers to a unified system of beliefs and practices which unites people into one single moral
community.
• 1. It acts as an integrative social force.
• 2. It shapes the collective conscience of society.
• 3. The religious rituals promote solidarity and cohesion in society.
• 4. It provides us with the framework to manage misery.
• 5. It provides us the courage to accept our life experiences as divinely predestined.
• 6. It helps in answering unanswered questions.
• 7. Values enshrined in our constitution are fundamental precepts of most religions.
• 8. Many leaders have called upon religious values to awaken the moral sensibility of society.
• 9. It helps individuals to cope-up with dysfunctional influences. for example drug abuse,
violence, etc.
• Counter Argument: However, when religion is used as a tool by anti-social elements to serve
their vested interest it causes a divide in society.
Media- 2:39 PM
 • Media acts as an agency of socialization by providing us the topics for discussion.
• It shapes our attitude/opinion.
• It influences our aspirations.
• Providing vicarious reinforcement (human nature to replicate the behavior for which someone
is publically rewarded.
• Teaching important values and lessons.
• Media acts as an agent of social management, social diffusion, and social change.
• Media can bring about checks and balances, provide a voice to the stakeholders, provide a
platform for debate, deliberation, and discussions, provide legitimacy to government policies,
provides policy inputs, creates awareness among the citizens about their rights and
entitlements, strengthen democracy, by providing a platform for constructive dissent.
• With respect to society- It helps in addressing stereotypes, promotes unity in diversity,
provides education through entertainment
• With respect to social media- It provides a platform for creativity, questioning regressive
practices, the democratization of social culture, and generating compassion toward the weak.
• However social media has also emerged as a platform for radicalization, polarization, social
unrest, cyberbullying, and the diffusion of responsibility in the name of anonymity.
Question:
Social maladjustment- 3:10 PM
• Conflicting values from different agencies
• Faculty socialization
• Changing the nature of society from balanced to unbalanced
• Relative deprivation
Attitude- 3:15 PM
• Concept:
• It refers to the readiness of the psyche to act or react in a certain way.
• It refers to the lasting evaluation of various aspects of the social world.
• Characteristics features of Attitudes:
• 1. They are enduring or lasting.
• 2. They are learned through the process of socialization.
• 3. Attitudes are held because they perform some functions for individuals.
• 4. Attitudes are always communicated either verbally or non-verbally.
• Attitude confirms the principle of consistency that is they don't change easily.
• Attitude is a subjective experience as it varies from individual to individual.
• It shapes people's perceptions of the social and physical world and influences their explicit
behavior.
Next Class Topic- Continuation of topic Attitude
Ethics Class 04
A breif review of the class and doubts. (1:02 PM)
Components of the Attitude:
• Cognitive:
• The idea or opinion of the attitude holder towards the attitude object is referred to as
cognitive
• For example, India has a rich cultural heritage
• Affective:
• Emotions generated in attitude holder toward the attitude object
• For example, feeling of awe, respect, and reverence toward the country
• Behavioural Tendency:
• It reflects our readiness for behaviour ie range of actions we would like to display with regard
to attitude object
 • For example, efforts to be made to preserve and promote India's rich cultural heritage
• Prejudice:
• These are examples of negative attitudes toward a particular group
• It is based on stereotypes about the specific group
• The cognitive component of prejudice is accompanied by dislike or hatred (affective
component)
• The prejudice may give rise to discrimination (the behavioural components)
• History has a number of examples where discrimination existed based on caste, race,
ethnicity, etc
• Examples - Apartheid in South Africa; untouchability in India; Genocide committed by Nazis in
Germany
• Today we see examples of prejudices on the basis of gender identity (Transgenders); sexual
orientation (LGB communities) or wrt physical, or mental illness (AIDS)
• Although the behavioural component can be curbed by law. it is the cognitive and emotional
component that is more difficult to change.
• Steps to be taken:
• Knowing the source of prejudice
• Minimise the possibility of the development of a prejudice
• Change this attitude
• De-emphasize the development of a narrow social identity based on in-group
• Discouraging the tendency towards negative behaviour among the victims of prejudice which
reinforces prejudice
• Way forward to address Prejudice:
• Spread education and information for correcting the stereotypes related to the target groups
• Tackling or handling the problem of strong in-group bias
• Increasing inter-group contact which allows for direct communication, removal of mistrust
between them, and discovery of positive qualities about them.
• Highlighting the individual identity rather than the group identity
Functions of the Attitude: (2:04 PM)
• The theory was given by Daniel Katz:
• 1. Knowledge function
• 2. Ego-defensive function
• 3. Value Expressive
• 4. Need function
• Quote: "Future belongs to the nation with grains and not with guns" - M.S.
Swaminathan
Need Function:
• Many attitudes are formed as a result of past rewards and punishment for saying and doing
things.
• Once formed they continue to be useful in helping us satisfy our needs.
• The day it stops fulfilling the need, they are abandoned
• Eg - Attitudes wrt Female Labour Force Participation (FLFP) changed when the cost of living
increased and the income of the male breadwinner was not enough to sustain the family
• Eg - The attitude towards reservation can be changed by promoting agriculture as a means of
income security
• Overall, this attitude based on need function changes when either there is a change in need
or the new attitude suggested can serve the existing need better
Knowledge Function: (2:25 PM)
• This attitude helps the attitude holders to organise and interpret a diverse set of information
• It helps people establish a cause for the event
 • It makes the world more understandable and comprehendible
• However, this attitude may not provide us with a factually truthful picture of the world around
us
• But it helps in understanding the complexities of life
• Examples - obsession with fair complexion, people may develop an attitude that the white
race is superior
• Less number of women drivers, people develop the attitude that they are not good at driving
• Less number of women in senior and managerial positions leads to people developing the
attitude that women are incapable of rational decision making
• Such attitude can be changed only when counter-attitudinal information is provided on a
sustainable basis
Ego-Defensive Function: (2:38 PM)
• The attitude helps us to enhance our self-esteem and defend us against various arrows of life.
• It is a prejudiced attitude that is often used as a crutch to bolster the self-esteem of the
attitude holder.
• For example, blame culture, incidences of domestic abuse, corporal punishments to children,
social media trolls, acts of moral policing, son of soil, etc
• This kind of attitude is very difficult to change as it emerges from an individual's personality
• Hence, to change the attitude we need to provide a conducive environment where a person
feels truly valued and therefore is ready to lower their defenses.
• Showing empathy and unconditional positive regard towards the attitude holder
• Eg - Vaccine nationalism; denial of responsibility of developed countries wrt climate change;
status of Arjun before Kurukshetra; Juvenile Justice System in India; Corruption;
Consumerism; criminalization of politics, etc
Value Expressive: (3:09 PM)
• This attitude is held to promote one's self-esteem and establish their identity
• It helps us to communicate who we are and makes us feel good because we are able to
assert our identity
• This attitude is also difficult to change because it is entrenched in an Individual's personality.
• For example, quotations on the t-shirts; status on WhatsApp; expressing our core values
through our conduct
• For example, if I value freedom, hence we are promoting flexible work schedules in the
organization, and democratic decision-making.
• This attitude can be changed only if the Individual's values have changed or the new attitude
will express the values better.
"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. However, the real tragedy of life is
when a man is afraid of the light." - Plato.
Topics for the next class: Continuation of Attitude, etc
Ethics Class 5
Class begins with a brief discussion of some ethics mains questions 2022. (5:06:10 PM):
Attitude, Behaviour, Consistency:(continued from previous class):(5:10:10 PM)
Consistency:
• 1)Background.
• 2)Factors affecting consistency:
• Individual factors:
• a)high on self-monitoring.
• b)low on self-monitoring.
• Situational factors:
• Bandwagon effect
• Attitude as a heuristic.
 • Attitude Strength:
• Relevance.
• specificity.
• accessibility.
• How has it been acquired?
Attitude behaviour consistency:(Detailed discussion)
Corey's studies with respect to cheating behaviour that is attitude wrt cheating do not determine
whether you will cheat or not but how badly you are [performing in the test will determine whether
you cheat or not.
• According to Lapierre wrt racial prejudice against Chinese in the US, he found that it not
always behaviour is consistent with the attitude.
• Example 1-Person X has a prejudice against people of a certain religious community.
• Hence he refused to rent out the accommodation.
• Example 2- Mr Y hates corrupt people despite that he voted for the most corrupt person as
that person belonged to his community.
• Hence when there are conflicting attitudes then the attitude which is dominating is reflected in
the behaviour.
• High in self-monitoring:
• People act differently in different situations.
• People who lack courage or are low on self-efficacy or a people pleasers.
• Low on self-monitoring:
• Their behaviour is usually an expression of their attitude.
• They are high on self-efficacy, they give primacy to individual identity rather than group
identity.
Attitude heuristic(5:42:26 PM):
• When there is information overload and no time to plan or contemplate behaviour whatever
attitude we process we act accordingly.For eg- brand impact on behaviour.
• Example of recruitment in the organisation.
Bandwagon effect:
• If you have an x attitude and others have a Y attitude and we hold others in high regard, then
very less probability of attitude behaviour consistency.
• Examples like westernization, consumerism or traditional practices in the community like child
marriage, and choosing optional in UPSC.etc
Attitude strength(5:51:22 PM):
• Attitude strength depends upon how have you acquired the attitude. If it is the result of
personal experience then it is more strong.
• For example attitude wrt social practices. eg- Reservation., child labour, child marriage,
domestic abuse etc.
Attitude relevance:(5:57:35 PM):
• The strength of the attitude is determined by the vested interests of the attitude holder wrt
attitude object.
• Example -Blood donation.
Attitude Specificity:(6:00:21 PM)
• the specific attitude is stronger than the general attitude.
• For example -Are you religious or how often do you visit religious shrines or religious
institutions?
Attitude Accessibility:
The moment the attitude holder is exposed to the attitude object if the attitude is immediately
accessible then it is strong and the behaviour will be consistent with it. For example- Opinions wrt
social issues.
Social Influence:(6:08:01 PM):
• Background
• Concept-->Theretical perspective-->French and Raven Theory.
• Mechanism of SI:
• Conformity:
• What is conformity?
• Why do people tend to confirm?
• Factors affecting Conformity.
• Compliance.:
• What is compliance?
• Principles and
• Techniques of Compliance.
• Obedience:
• What is it?
• Factors responsible.
• Destructive Obedience.
• Persuasion.
Social Influence(6:16:46 PM)(Detailed discussion):
• Karl Hovland, a social psychologist contracted by the US armed forces to encourage the
morale of soldiers to continue to fight against Japan.
• Hence after WW 2, it emerged as an important area of enquiry.
• Knowledge of social influence helps in changing people's attitudes and behaviour.
Concept of social influence:(6:34:53 PM)
Question-How can we use social influence to ensure the successful implementation of swachh
Bharat mission?
• P-person, O- social agent.
• Reward power:
• P has the perception that O has the ability to give rewards.
• Coercive power
• P's perception is that O has the ability to give punishment.
• Expert power:
• P believes that O is superior as O has special knowledge.
• Legitimate power;
• P believes that O has the legitimate right to prescribe behaviour.
• Referent power:
• P identifies with O as O is charismatic to P.
• Question-How social influence can be used to encourage girl education?
Mechanism of Social influence:(6:41:57 PM):
• Conformity:
• It is a type of social influence where individual changes both their attitude and behaviour to fall
in line with existing social norms.
• Why do people tend to confirm:
• Normative social Influence:
• we tend to confirm because there exists a need to be liked by others whose acceptance we
desire.
• The more important the group is more would be my adherence to the norms.
• Informational social influence:
• The more you are uncertain and lack expertise, the more you tend to go with the group. Eg-
Audience poll lifeline in KBC.
Self Categorisation:
 • We have a strong desire to place ourselves in some category and group membership
facilitates this.
• Hence the more important the group is to promote our identity the stronger would be the
influence.
Factors affecting conformity:
• Size of the group.
• Unanimity among the group.
• Ideological proximity with the group.
Compliance:(6:57:17 PM):
• It is technically a change in behaviour and not in attitude.
• We agree to change the behaviour because of the satisfaction we derived from compliance
because of the rewards and punishments attached.
• Robert Cialdini- Factors of compliance:
• Friendship:
• we comply with requests from friends or the people whom we like.
• Commitment and consistency:
• Once we have committed ourselves to a position or an action we are more willing to comply
with requests for behaviour that are consistent with that position.
• Reciprocity:
• We comply with the request of someone who has provided us with favour.
• Social validation:
• we comply with the request for action if this action is consistent with what we believe persons
similar to us are doing
• Scarcity:
• We tend to secure opportunities that are scarce.
• Authority:
• We show a willingness to comply with requests from someone who has legitimate authority.
Techniques of compliance:(19:15:56 PM):
• Foot in the door:
• We start with a small request and when it is granted we move to the larger one.
• Assignment question-(a)How to use the foot in the door technique to improve the work
culture of the organisation.
• (b)how to convince the people in rural areas to send their girls to school.
• Door in the face technique:
• Requesters begin with the large request but when it is refused we retreat to a smaller one
which was the original intent.
• That's not all technique:
• Giving additional benefits in order to ensure compliance.
• Use this technique to convince people of upper castes to let their children consume the food
cooked by Dalit cooks.
• Playing it hard to get technique:
• Increasing compliance by suggesting that the person or object is scarce to obtain.
Next class: Continue from the same- Social influence, persuasion etc
Ethics Class 6
A brief review of the previous class [05:04 PM]
• Playing it hard: Convincing youth to participate in politics
• Convincing youth to transform from job seeker to job generator.
• Deadline Technique: eg: Sustainable Development Goals
Obedience [05:18 PM]
 • It is a type of social influence in which a person obeys direct orders from another person to
perform a task or action.
• Factors that govern obedience -
• Visible badges: Honorary titles, degrees, beacon on the car, etc
• Socialization with respect to 'always obey authority
• Transfer of responsibility: Here the individual acts as an instrument for carrying out others'
desire and thus no longer perceive themselves as responsible for actions.
• Proximity with authority (either physical or ideological)
• Destructive Obedience
• Refer to Stanley Milgram's Experiment diagram provided in the class.
• Eg: State led persecution, honor killing, riots, etc
• Factors that lead to the accumulation of energy -
• Social Compassion
• Relative Deprivation
• Apathy of administration
• Lack of Grievance Redressal System
• This accumulated energy converts ACTIVE CROWD to MOB.
• This further leads to the Submergence of Individual Identity into Group Identity.
• Leading to Out Group Homogeneity and thus Action in direction as per order.
• Moral Degradation of Society [05:43 PM]
• Refer to the diagram provided.
• Trait characterization leads to a stereotype amongst individuals
• Stereotyping an individual or a personality leads to a prejudiced attitude.
• Such a situation gives birth to an Action tendency to harm, and if there is a lack of strong
impediments.
• This lack of deterrence leads to Disinhibition, causing violence which is basically De-
sensitization.
• Whenever violence is justified, it leads to Dehumanization and thus Moral Degradation of
Society.
Persuasion [05:49 PM]
• Social influence is the effort made to change the attitude or behavior of one or more people.
• Persuasion is one of the techniques of Social influence.
• It is defined as a process that is aimed at changing a person's or group's attitude or behavior
towards some event, idea, object, or person by using written or spoken words to convey
information, feelings, etc.
• Persuasion is a receiver-centric exercise.
• Elements of Persuasion -
• WHO said WHAT to WHOM by WHAT MEANS
• Who: Source
• What: Message
• Whom: Receiver
• What Means: Channel of communication
• Steps of Persuasion - ACRA
• A: Attention
• C: Comprehension
• It refers to the ability of the source to make the target group understand the message possible
only when it is designed taking into cognizance the frame of reference of the target group.
• R: Retention
• The target group should be able to retain and retrieve the message presented and for this, the
message should be presented repeatedly and the salient points should be highlighted.
• A: Acceptance and Action
• Persuasion is said to be successful if the target group not only receives the message but also
acts in the desired direction.
• Eg: Nukkad Natak in the context of rural areas
• Social Persuasion to counter social evils
• Eg: With respect to drug abuse, pictorial warnings, awareness campaigns by health experts
• Sanitation: (toilet Ek Prem Katha), Cinema, and charismatic personalities
• Patriarchal attitude: eg: Women Empowerment schemes of the government (Beti Bachao, Beti
Padhao)
• Aristotle's perspective with respect to Persuasion [06:19 PM]
• Three ways through which Persuasion can be done:
• Ethos: appealing to ethics
• This means an appeal to ethics i.e. convincing someone of the character, authority, or
credibility of the speaker.
• It can be done in multiple ways. Eg:
• (i). You are a notable figure in the concerned field or
• (ii). Demonstrating mastery over the specialized vocabulary of the field.
• (iii). Being introduced by the established authority
• Logos: appealing to logic
• It refers to the logical appeal i.e. to provide facts, data, etc.
• Having the logical appeal also enhances Ethos as information makes the speaker more
knowledgeable.
• Pathos: appealing to emotions
• It refers to the appeal to emotions i.e. it is the way of convincing the audience of an argument
by creating an emotional response.
• It is more effective when the speaker has the same value system as that of the audience.
• Pathos can be developed using meaningful language, emotional tone, emotion-evoking
examples, or making funny illustrations.
• Questions
• According to Aristotle for successful persuasion, not only ethos and logos but pathos
are equally important. Comment (150 words | 10 marks)
• Differentiate between Social Influence and Persuasion. Give two examples where you
brought about a positive attitudinal change through persuasion. (150 words | 10 marks)
• The barriers in the process of Persuasion - [06:35 PM]
• There are three barriers in process of Persuasion:
• (i). Semantic: It refers to the science of meaning.
• It arises because words or symbols can have more than one meaning or due to technical
words in the message or discrepancies between the verbal and non-verbal aspects of the
message.
• It can be overcome by -
• Using receiver-friendly symbols
• By making communication idea-centric rather word centric
• Use of relevant examples to support a message
• (ii). Psychological: It arises due to -
• Ideological incompatibility between the source and receiver.
• The power distance is high between the source and the receiver.
• Low level of trust.
• To remove such barrier climate of trust and understanding needs to be developed.
• (iii). Physical: It arises due to disturbance in the environment which obstructs the flow of
communication.
 • This barrier can be overcome by re-designing the physical environment.
• Question
• 1. Giving examples of some social evils in society discuss how social persuasion can be
effective to overcome them. (150 words | 10 marks)
• 2. Lack of knowledge regarding the social influence ability of social media can be challenging.
Comment (150 words | 10 marks)
Topics to be discussed in the next class: Continuation of Persuasion, Emotional Intelligence
Ethics Class 07
The class started with a continuation of Persuasion (1:08 PM)
Flow-chart for the characteristics of elements of Persuasion (1:08 PM)
Characteristics of elements of Persuasion
Source Message Receiver
Credibility - Selective
• Expertise Message exposure,
• Trustworthines discrepancy Attention +
s Interpretation
Self Efficiency
Attractiveness Fear Appeal
& Intelligence
Drawing
Power
Conclusion
Sides of
message
A pleasant
form of
discretion
Emotional &
factual
appeal
Channel
Factors
• Expertise
• Knowledge
• Trustworthiness
• Reliability in conduct
• Consistency in past behavior
• Walking the talk
• Sleeper Effect
• Degree of acceptance of persuasive message:
• Gaps between Low Credible sources and High credible sources can be filled through:
• Good Governance
• Employment Opportunities
• Law & Order
• Inclusive development
• Media Management
• Over time, High credible sources' acceptance also decreases.
 • If Low credible sources argue against their vested interest, then the degree of acceptance of
the persuasion message increases.
• When The source is credible, the conformity will be there.
• When The source is Attractive, the identification will be there.
• When The source is powerful, the compliance will be there.
• Attractiveness
• 1) Physical
• 2) Ideological
• 3) Communication Skills
• Power
• According to Weber, Power is the ability to impose will in collective action despite the
resistance of others
Message Discrepancy (1:34 PM)
• Note: Please note down the diagrams for the same that has been displayed on the board.
• Zone of Acceptance
• Zone of Indifference
• Zone of Rejection
• Zone of Acceptance
• Tolerant
• Rational
• Open-Minded
• Patience
• Empathy
• In order to widen the zone of acceptance:
• 1) Establish utility of message
• 2) Source is credible
• 3) Message is presented in a culturally congruent manner.
Fear Appeal (1:45 PM)
• The mild fear appeal generally works better than strong fear appeal as strong fear appeal
produces a defense mechanism where the target group insulates itself from the message
issued by the source and reduces the level of trust in the source.
• Fear appeals are effective if they also provide a specific recommendation about how the
change in attitude or behavior would prevent the negative consequence described in fear-
provoking messages.
• Fear Appeal can be used to:
• 1) abolish child labor
• 2) Preventing selective abortions
• 3) Persuing younger siblings to study
• A pictorial warning with reference to smoking is an example of strong fear appeal.
Drawing Conclusion (1:52 PM)
• Drawing conclusions is beneficial if:
• 1) Message is unstructured
• 2) Not related to the core beliefs of the receiver
• 3) When the audience is not very intelligent or educated
• 4) There is no mistrust between the source and the receiver.
• 5) When the receiver doesn't believe that drawing a conclusion implies an insult to their
intelligence.
• 6) If the message is utilitarian for the receiver.
The Side-ness of the Message (2:00 PM)
• A one-sided message is useful if the crowd is not very intelligent.
 • Uninformed about the other side or already agrees with your position. e.g., Son of soil theory.
• A two-sided message works best when the audience is intelligent and educated. They are
informed about another side. They hold a position that is against/ opposite of the one that is
advocated by the source.
• Carrying the element of suspicion regarding the intent of the source.
• e.g., Implementation of UCC.
Emotional & Factual Appeal (2:10 PM)
• Emotional + factual appeal
• Emotional appeal but not factual appeal
• Neither emotional nor factual appeal
A pleasant form of Distractions (2:11 PM)
• Since the span of attention is less, distractions such as food, humor, children, music, etc., can
help in increasing the effectiveness of the persuasive appeal by positively reinforcing the
attention of the target group.
Channel Factor (2:15 PM)
• Channel is the medium through which information is presented hence it should be compatible
both with the message as well as the target group.
• e.g., Using street plays to create awareness regarding social issues among the rural
populations.
Characteristics of the Receiver (2:17 PM)
• 1) Selective Exposure, attention, and Interpretation
• Many times, the target group members do not intentionally avoid information but because of
the culture in which they live they get exposed only to that information with supports their
existing viewpoints.
• Even when the source is able to overcome the barriers, there is the possibility of selective
attention and interpretation.
• This problem can be overcome by making the message interesting and providing illustrations
to explain the context of the message.
• It is important for the receiver to be intelligent and high on self-efficacy to ensure sustainability
in persuasion.
• 2) Cognitive Dissonance
• Cognitive dissonance is defined as inconsistency between One's thoughts and behavior which
will lead to uncomfortable psychological or emotional tensions among individuals or groups.
• There are four ways in which it can be resolved:
• 1) Changing one's thoughts
• 2) Changing one's behavior to match the existing thought
• 3) Add a thought to justify the behavior.
• 4) Trivialise the inconsistency between thought and behavior.
Case Study
• There is character X&Y, Where X considers Y to be loving caring, and respectful. However,
after marriage, Y turned out to be an abuser. In such a situation, what would X do?
• 4 steps
• 1) Change her thoughts about the situation. X can consider domestic violence to be the
manifestation of love and hence accepted.
• 2) Change her behavior towards the situation i.e., being a victim of domestic abuse, filing a
complaint against him, and filing for divorce.
• 3) X can add a thought that she can analyze other activities of her husband and find that his
love is evident from the material possessions that she has.
 • 4) Tivialising the inconsistencies. She can compare her situation with the neighbors who are
also victims of domestic abuse and then can trivialize the faults in her husband (Chalta hai
Culture)
Types of Attitude (2:51 PM)
• 1) Positive Attitude
• It refers to when an individual pays attention to the good in all situations.
• They are optimistic, always see opportunity, always pay attention to the virtues of others, have
a problem-solving approach, and can achieve long terms goals easily.
• e.g., Thomas Edison
• 2) However, people with negative attitudes are pessimistic and always complain, look for
problems and only see limitations.
• 3) Moral Attitude
• A moral attitude is defined as one which is based on a moral conviction of what is right and
what is wrong.
• It indicates one's understanding of morality, attitude toward moral lapses, and behavior when
faced with moral issues.
• An agency such as family, education, and religion, society plays a significant role in shaping
moral attitudes.
• People who possess a moral attitude have the following virtues:
• 1) Reverence - Deep respect for others
• 2) Faithfulness
• A person with a moral attitude will always be faithful to a person's belief or cause.
• 3) Awareness of responsibilities.
• 4) Veracity - Seeking truth
• A person with a moral attitude always speaks the truth in a speech or statement.
• A person with a moral attitude possesses the following characteristics
• Empathy
• Compassion
• Kind
• Generous
• Selflessness
• 4) Political Attitude
• Political attitude refers to the attitude towards political parties, political issues, and the overall
political system in the country.
• This attitude is also shaped in terms of political loss and gains.
• This political attitude helps us in determining how the people will participate and whom will
they vote for in the election.
• Factors that shape our political Attitude
• i) Political Ideology e.g., liberalism, socialism, etc.
• ii) Economic factors e.g., A poor pre with freebies and subsidies.
• iii) Social Factors: Caste and religion play a key role in determining political attitude
• iv) Political factors: Politicization of caste and castisation of politics
• v) Gender - A state which aims at expanding the sphere of freedom of opportunities for
women as well will positively shape the political attitude of women.
• The other factors that shape the attitude are:
• Family
• Peer groups
• media
• Workplace
• Educational Institutions etc.
 Question
•
Bring out the role of social media in shaping On's political and moral attitude (10
•
marks/ 150 Words)
Bureaucratic & Democratic Attitude (3:16 PM)
• When the attitude of a public servant strictly follows the decision-making process according to
rules and guidelines is known as a bureaucratic attitude.
• Attributes
• Objectivity
• Neutrality
• Rule-Oriente
• Top-Down etc.
• Merit • Demerit
• Following the • Unable to deal
SOPs Helps no with New
partiality emerging issues
• Easy to fix the • Red-tapism -
responsibilities delay in work
• Quick decision
• Status-quo
making
• • Rigidity
• Alienation
• among the
officials
• Apathy towards
people
•
(Indifferent
attitude)
• Centralization
Authority/
•
concentration of
power
• Alienation/
• Cognitive
dissonance
• One size fits all
•
approach
• Democratic Attitude
• The attitude which encourages people's participation in the decision-making process.
• Its attributes are:
• Compassion
• Empathy
• Tolerance
• Participative approach
• Bottom-up
• Fluid Communication
• Merit • Demerit
• People's
Participation -
Hence • Time
democracy is Consuming
realized in both
letter and spirit
• Difficulty in
• Flexibility arriving at a
consensus
• Lack of
• Target based
informed
Approach
participation
• People are
treated as the
•
center of
policymaking
• Good
•
Governance
• Inclusive
•
development
• More
internalization
•
of policy by the
peoples
• Accountability,
Transparency, •
etc.
•The combination of both attitudes is required where at the level of policy-making, a
bureaucratic attitude is preferred whereas, at the level of implementation, a democratic
attitude will be beneficial.
Note: The topic of Attitude has been completed in this class.
The topics for the next class: Emotional Intelligence
Ethics Class 08
A brief review of the previous class and doubts [05:03 PM]
Theory of Planned Behaviour - [05:08 PM]
• Attitude with respect to behavior + Subjective norms + Perceived Behavioural control →
Intention → Behaviour (refer to diagram).
• Steps -
• A) Identify the facilitators
• B) Attitude with respect to behavior -
• 1) Efforts to change the attitude with respect to family planning. For example - Cost-benefit
analysis that how more number of children will be a limitation with respect to the availability of
nutrition, education, and overall standard of living of the family.
 • 2) Strengthening the role of Asha workers to create awareness about family planning
methods.
• 3) Easy access to contraceptives and Social awareness through charismatic personalities and
street plays etc.
• B) Subjective Norms - Conditional Cash transfers, Conditions with respect to election to
Panchayats, Celebration of girl child day, etc.
• C) Perceived behavioral control - (Perception regarding the ease or difficulty in performing
the behavior)
• PBC can be increased by ensuring-
• transparency and accountability,
• effective or robust grievance redressal mechanisms,
• reducing the power distance between administrations and citizens,
• unbiased media,
• democratic governance, etc.
Assignment - 1) Convincing parents to send their girl child to school 2) Against the practice of
Child Marriage 3) Abolition of child labor
Question: Attitude is an important component that goes as input in the development of the human
being. How to build a suitable attitude needed for a public servant? (150 words | 10 marks)
Emotional Intelligence [05:28 PM]
• Refer to the diagram
• Emotions -
• Emotions are personal experiences that arise due to complex interplay between cognitive,
physiological, and situational variables.
• Every human being has the capacity to experience emotions.
• There are certain myths related to emotions. For example -
• 1) It's a sign of weakness.
• 2) It obstructs reasoning.
• 3) It interferes with sound management.
• 4) Negatively impacts efficiency.
• 5) Dilutes rationality and leads to arbitrary behavior.
• However, various types of research have proved without a doubt that emotions help us in -
• building trust;
• developing strong interpersonal relations;
• providing motivation;
• strengthening social capital, etc.
• Type of Emotions -
• Directly emotional response to a situation is referred to as primary emotions.
• For Example - You are sad because your friend has said something hurtful.
• However, emotional response to the primary emotion is referred to as secondary emotion.
• For example - because of the sadness that you experienced, you also became angry.
• There are some emotions that are very pleasant and rewarding. They are known as positive
emotions. For Example - Joy, Happiness, Love etc.
• However, there are certain emotions that make us miserable, reduce our confidence and self-
esteem and are responsible for our downfall.
• They are referred to as Negative Emotions. For Example - Hatred, Jealousy, Anger, Desire,
etc.
• Emotional Intelligence - [05:48 PM]
• It refers to the ability of an individual to reason with emotions and use emotions in reasoning.
• EI is defined as an ability to identify, understand, use and manage one's own emotions as well
as the emotions of others in a positive way so as-
 • to relieve stress;
• communicate effectively;
• empathize with others;
• overcome challenges;
• diffuse social conflict;
• decrease anti-social behavior
Mayor and Salovey Emotional Intelligence Model - [05:59 PM]
• Refer to the diagram
• The four branch model:
• Emotional Perception - Ability to be aware of your emotions and express them accurately
• Emotional Assimilation - Ability to differentiate between different emotions and identify which
emotion is facilitating the action.
• Emotional Understanding - Ability to understand complex emotions and identify the
transition from 1 emotion to another.
• Emotional Management - Ability to manage emotions by attaching/detaching from them in
any situation.
Daniel Goleman Emotional Intelligence Model [06:09 PM]
• Building blocks of Emotional Intelligence -
• Self Awareness
• Self Motivation
• Regulation
• Empathy
• Social Skills
• Self Awareness -
• The core of emotional intelligence is self-awareness
• It is the ability to accurately perceive your own emotions, motivations, responsibilities,
strengths, and limitations. and understand how they affect a person and those around you.
• Benefits of Self Awareness -
• It helps in self-evaluation by accepting constructive feedback.
• Understanding one's own motivation and values helps a person enjoy what they do and keeps
them focused in case of a setback.
• It refrains them from setting up unrealistic goals.
• Ability to relate and empathize with those in similar situations hence it creates sensitivity
towards them.
• It helps in dealing with external factors that can not be controlled and ensures appropriate
behavior in adverse situations.
• Eg: Being stuck in traffic after a long day at work can make one angry and this may affect the
interaction at home, however, if the person is self-aware, then he or she has the option to
change the reaction.
• Parents who fail to identify their responsibility to inculcate values might end up with their
children falling prey to bad influences.
• An administrator whose not aware of their own motivation for delivering public services.
• For example - while serving in a backward district, a bureaucrat may indulge in corruption
which not only tarnishes his image but also impacts the well-being of others.
• Question: What do you mean by self-awareness? With the help of appropriate examples,
discuss why it is referred to as the beginning of all wisdom.
• Self Motivation - [06:29 PM]
• It refers to an energetic and persistent approach with respect to goal achievement.
• People resort to Self Motivation by Reading motivational quotes and books, remembering
loved ones, and generating a feeling of guilt.
 • People who are self-motivated have the following characteristics -
• 1) Achievement driven
• 2) Optimism
• 3) Organisational Commitment
• 4) Self-regulation
• Such a person may encounter defeat but does not feel defeated.
• Self Regulation -
• It is referred to as the ability to control impulsive feelings and behavior, manage emotions, and
think before acting ability to hold judgment.
• People who exhibit the following features are the ones who are high on self-regulation, the
following features are -
• 1) Integrity
• 2) Trustworthiness
• 3) Openness
• 4) Flexible Approach
Essay Topic: Perception of me is a reflection of you and my reaction to you is my sense of
awareness.
• Empathy - [06:41 PM]
• Ability to understand the emotional profile of others by imaginatively placing oneself in the
position of others. They exhibit the following features -
• 1) Bottom-up approach
• 2) Service orientation
• 3) Cross-cultural sensitivity
• 4) Tolerance, accommodative of diversity.
• Social Skills -
• Proficiency in managing relationships and building networks. For example -
• 1) Patience
• 2) Persuasiveness
• 3) Self Confidence
• 4) Sense of humor
• 5) Good listening
• 6) Social memory
• 7) Inspiring Innovation etc.
• Question: 1) What do you mean by Emotional Intelligence? What are the building blocks of
emotional intelligence? (150 words|10 marks)
• 2) "Emotional Intelligence is the ability to make your emotions work for you instead of against
you." Do you agree with this? Discuss.
• Approach: EI ensures self-awareness which leads to satisfaction, contentment, peaceful state
of mind.
• Self-regulation will help in controlling disruptive impulses.
• Self Motivation will lead to endurance.
• EI can help in character building. For eg: courage, integrity, empathy, etc.
• Efficiency at the workplace. According to Daniel Goleman, 80% of success at the workplace
depends upon EQ and only 20% on IQ.
• EI will lead to good leadership skills. (Since there is the ability of relationship management,
good communication., constructive conflict resolution, etc.)
• Eg: With respect to defence forces, challenges-
• Isolation from family, workload, strict rules etc. Emotional Intelligence helps in coping with
stress, social skills help in developing bonds and combating loneliness.
 • Competitive system - People are competing for power, prestige, position, salary, etc.
Emotional Intelligence helps in developing a strong mental attitude to cope with pressure, take
optimal decisions and communicate effectively.
How Emotional Intelligence is developed [07:00 PM]
• Motivation - Learning EI skills require commitment, Conscious practice and training can
improve EI.
• Willingness to honestly evaluate your emotions and their drivers.
• Well-designed Intervention - It helps the person to get accurate feedback about how others
perceive her.
• This helps us to pause and contemplate our own behavior.
• Flexibility in Attitude - People with better social skills and self-awareness are better
equipped to change.
• In this context, early socialization plays a significant role.
• Applications of EI -[07:12 PM]
• Incorporating theoretical learning in real life.
• Question: What are the main components of EI? Can they be learned? Discuss. (150 words |
10 marks)
• Question: What do you mean by the crisis of conscience? How EI can help us in resolving a
crisis of conscience? (150 words | 10 marks)
Difference between IQ and EQ [07:16 PM]
• The Intelligence Quotient determines the level of intelligence of a person based on
knowledge of the world, quantitative reasoning, memory, etc.
• Emotional Quotient is the measure of a person's level of emotional intelligence. (In case
of a question on this define EI and its components)
• For example - In Public Services, IQ may help a public servant, understand technical issues
such as economic policy while EQ will determine their ability to generate consensus and
convince different stakeholders on it.
• Hence both IQ and EQ are required.
Topics to be discussed in the next class: Continuation of EI, Ethics and Human Interface
Ethics Class 09
Revision of the last class:(1:06 PM):
• Emotional Intelligence(EI) believes that the problem does not lie with emotions but the
problem lies with the individual ability to understand, reason, and use emotions.
• Self-regulation is the need of the hour.
• Momentarily bursts of anger cause negative effects on no one else but the individual
concerned.
Role of EI in governance (1:20 PM):
• Background:
◦ F.W.
Taylor.
◦ Max
Weber.
◦ Elton • Significance of EI
Mayo. in Administration
◦ Daniel
Goleman
+ Mayer
&
Salovey
• Taylor was a classical thinker who gave the theory of scientific management.
 • It was based on the following assumptions:
• Efficiency can be improved by the application of scientific methods.
• A good worker is one who does not initiate action but just accepts orders.
• A worker is an economic man.
Principles of Scientific management:
• The work needs to be divided into components, and for each component, devise one best
way of doing the task.
• Select and train the workers to perform in the best way.
• Workers are motivated through a piece rate system( the more one works, the more he will
earn).
• However, the perspective has been criticized on the following grounds:
• It is a mechanistic approach as it ignored the human side of the organization.
• It treated workers as machines and wanted to make them efficient as machines.
• It is criticized for being the monistic theory of motivation, i.e it underestimated and over-
simplified human motivation by considering it only in economic terms.
• The approach was impersonal in nature where workers were treated as mere cogs in the
wheels.
Max Weber's impersonal management:
• A formal organization that constitutes the administration staff under hierarchical authority is
known as bureaucracy.
• Bureaucracy (dictation) (1:50 PM):
• Bureaucracy as a term was coined by Vincent de Gourney.
• However, the credit for the systematic formulation of theory goes to Max Weber.
• Bureaucracy is defined as a formal organization that constitutes the administrative staff under
legal rational authority.
• Bureaucracy has two components: Structural and Functional.
Functional:
• Objectivity( Not
being affected
Structural: by opinions/
• Hierarchy. beliefs or
• Division of work. perceptions).
• System of • Impersonality( w
Rules. hen not affected
• Role Specificity by emotions).
• Rule
Orientation.
• Rationality
• It is defined as a system of official authority and predefined rules rather than emotions.
• It forms the core of Weberian bureaucracy where the aim is to maximize efficiency.
The necessity of impersonal management:
• It ensures equality in the treatment of people.
• It will ensure fairness and objectivity in bureaucratic functioning.
• It creates a precedent that can shape future decision-making.
• It will ensure rational decision-making rather than emotional.
Challenges of impersonal management:
• Blind Rationality:
• Over-obsession with the rules leads to the displacement of goals.
• It might lead to self-alienation.
 • It results in "Trained incapacity", which refers to the incapability of dealing with new things
since there is a lack of scope for innovation and initiatives.
• It also leads to status quoism.
• It also aggravates inequality as the human aspect is compromised while dealing with
vulnerable sections.
• Prostitution of personality:
◦ Prostitution of personality simply means to make someone act and live life in a manner
that they do not wish to.
◦ A person who is indulged in doing work he is not passionate about and has no scope for
creative expression is said to experience this.
• Occupational psychosis:
• Doing the same time of work over a period of time leads to preferences and antipathies.
• For example- The use of information technology by senior bureaucrats.
• Lack of compassion aggravates the problem of the weaker section because they already lack
awareness about their rights, they do not have the platform to voice their concerns, there is a
lack of strong pressure groups to represent them and above all, it is the apathy of
administration which makes them more vulnerable.
Human relation theory:
• Human relation theory came as a reaction to the classical approach which stressed a formal
structure of the organization and neglected the role of the human element in the organization.
• One of the main proponents was Elton Mayo.
• He conducted Hawthorne's experiments, and made the following findings:
• Social and Psychologica factors rather than physical conditions of work determine efficiency.
• Non-economic rewards affect the output.
• Workers are social animals hence interpersonal relations, and attitudes of superiors and
subordinate impacts efficiency.
• The informal organization within the formal setup determines the behavior.
• Participative management is the key to ensuring efficiency because it generates a sense of
involvement, prevents alienation, and ensures the internalization of goals by individuals.
• The work of Elton Mayo was further carried further by Mayer & Salvey and Daniel Goleman.
Contemporary understanding (2:30 PM):
• All governance is people's governance.
• All service is public service.
• Hence, relationships are the basic premise of any governance.
• So, if we fail to develop trustworthy relationships, we cannot ensure good governance.
• Hence the need for social skills is very essential and so, EI is mandatory.
EI in civil services:
• Some examples of emotional intelligence in civil services can be-
• Bike Ambulance initiative by Awanish Sharan in Kabirdham Chattisgarh.
• Free food under Operation Sulaimani by Prashant Nayar in Kozhikode Kerala.
• More awareness about the need of the citizens and hence targetted policymaking thereby
challenging one-size fits all approach.
• An emotionally intelligent official will be self-motivated to achieve the goals of public service
and hence will come up with innovative ideas to ensure effective service delivery.
• For example- Sandeep Naduri established a cafe exclusively run by persons with disabilities.
• Armstrong Pame is known as a miracle man as he constructed a hundred kilometers long
road in Manipur without government help.
• EI officials will be self-aware of their motivation and responsibility towards the public.
• Since they have social skills, they will be able to diffuse social conflicts in society.
• They can create legitimacy for government policies by persuading the public.
 • They have the ability to regulate their emotions and can overcome crises of conscience, so
that is will not be lured by offers of corruption.
• For example- Rajni Sekhri Sibal exposed a teacher recruitment scam.
• Poonam Malakondiah- pulled Monsanto before MRTP Commission.
• Question- What do you mean by
emotional intelligence and how it can
be applied in administrative
practices?
• EI officials can act as role models for others and can help in establishing a harmonious and
morally virtuous society.
• EI officials ensure the development of a shared vision.
• EI officials are more flexible in their approach and hence will prevent the status quo by acting
as a change catalyst.
• In today’s time, administrative success and failure are not based on technical proficiency but
on how effectively public officials can display their EI skills to manage interactions with people
around them.
• Question: Write a short note on each
of the following (10 marks):
◦ Impersonal management.
◦ Human relations theory of
Elton Mayo.
◦ Taylor's scientific
management.
◦ Traits of emotionally
intelligent administrator
The topics for the next class are the Role of EI in the Indian context and the dimensions of
ethics.
Ethics Class 10
Ethics Class 10 [13:04:00]
Emotional Intelligence in the Indian context [13:07:00]
• It finds reference in "Bhagavad Gita"
• EI person is referred to as "Stithapragnya"
• Reasons for emotional turmoil
• Qualities of EI person
• How to develop EI- Philosophy of Nishakm Karma
Reasons for Emotional turmoil [13:13:00]
• Desire and Anger are the two vices that are responsible for the downfall of an individual
• Desire refers to wishful thinking
• It leads to Attachment with someone/ something
• Once there is attachment it leads to Longing. Once this longing is generated, it leads to Anger
and when this emotion is generated, the ability of an individual to differentiate between right
and wrong gets crippled
• [* Desire= Iccha, Longing= Lalsa]
• [* Example- Duryodhana, lost his Viveka. It finds its manifestations in Rashmirathi by
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar ]
• [* Example- Ravan, He was a great scholar and great devotee of Lord Shiva, well versed with
Vedas, and his expertise in statecraft was acknowledged by all, however, it was his desire
which blinded his wisdom and was responsible for his downfall ]
 • [* Example- Macbeth, Play by William Shakespeare, He was a brave warrior who charted his
own doom as he was swayed by the desire of becoming the King. He had no feeling of guilt in
Killing the kings who visited the castle. He did ascend the throne, however, now he was
rotting with guilt. Hence he preferred to die on the battlefield]
Qualities of Emotionally Intelligent people [13:28:00]
• According to Bhagavad Gita,
• One whose mind is not shaken by adversity
• Who takes both good and bad equally i.e. neither is too happy when successful, nor is
demotivated when confronted with defeat.
• Is free from affection, and fear, is unattached
• However, it does not imply he is insensitive in fact he has the ability to attach or detach from
any situation/ object or person at will
Philosophy of Nishkam karma [11:33:00]
• It is a philosophy of performance of duties without any expectation in return
• It teaches us that duties have to be performed without any selfish motive and it will lead to the
establishment of a balanced and duty-bound society
Nishkam Karma is an asset for civil services
• There are certain sets of duties that have to be performed selflessly and without any
expectation.
• The services should be performed in an unconditional manner i.e. irrespective of the socio-
economic background of the people and only with sincerity towards their duty
• Selfish action often leads to Unethical practices such as abuse of power, corruption,
inefficiency, etc
• The result of the action should not agitate the minds of the civil servants even in Tense
situations. They should only focus on performing the action with honesty, integrity, and
personal accountability
• Many times, in a lot of situations the consequences are not in the individual's hands. There is
no guarantee that you will achieve the expected result. In such situations, this philosophy
helps a civil servant to remain motivated and focused.
Question:- What does ethics seek to promote in Human life? Why is it all the more important in
Public Administration (10 marks/ 150 words)
Question:- Integrity without knowledge is useless but Knowledge without integrity is dangerous.
What do you understand by this statement? Explain with examples(10 marks/ 150 words)
Question:- Law and ethics are considered to be the tools for controlling human conduct. a) Discuss
how they achieve this objective & b) By Giving examples show how the two differ. (150 words/ 10
marks)
Question:- What do you mean by the Philosophy of Nishkam Karma? Discuss its significance in
human life (150 words/ 10 marks)
Ethics and Human Interface [13:55:00]
• What is Ethics?
• Essence of Ethics
• Determinants of Ethics
• Consequences of Ethics
• Dimensions of Ethics- Descriptive Ethics, Meta-Ethics, Normative Ethics, Applied Ethics
What is ethics? [14:00:00]
• It is defined as a set of Dos and Don'ts which governs human conduct in a social setting
• The principle which can concretize the definition of ethics is "Aatmanah Pratikulani
Paresham Na Samacharet" i.e never impose anything on others, which you yourself don't
want to go through
 • Hence, Ethics can be defined as the Systematic study of Human actions with respect to
Rightfulness and Wrongfulness as a means to attain Ultimate Happiness
Characteristics of Ethics [14:07:00]
• Ethics does not always dictate a single course of action but provides a means of evaluating
and deciding among the competing options
• Society requires a code of Ethics to prevent social conflict and also provide a basis for
resolving the conflicts between competing values
• Ethics tends to be consistent within the context but it varies between the context
• Ethics operates at different levels, for example-Societal, organizational, administrative, legal,
etc
• Ethics is maintained and sustained by a sense of responsibility and not mere accountability to
any external agency
• For example- Not helping the accident victim will not attract legal penalty or punishment but is
an unethical conduct
The essence of Ethics [14:19:00]
• Essence means the most important quality or Indesepensible quality which determines the
character
• An individual is capable of making inteeleginet/ informed choices
• This leads to, each choice having consequences for both individual and collective
• This leads to, hence an individual should be responsible for his actions
• Thus Ethics helps in making the right choices
The essence of ethics can be analyzed from the following perspectives
• Good life- According to Bhagavad Gita, the purpose of human life is to fulfill its duties and
adhere to virtues in today's time. People are not satisfied with wealth, pleasure, fame, etc. But
its the ethical conduct which provides the ultimate satisfaction
• Contextual- Ethics are determined in a social setting i.e. it varies with respect to culture,
history, norms, etc
• Abstract- Ethics is not a definitive science but an abstract philosophy about what is the right
thing to do. It does not have a concrete manifestation but it has a universal significance. Since
it is a mental construct that can not be seen many times people are unable to understand its
meaning and significance and drift toward unethical actions.
• Voluntary action- It only deals with actions that a person performs with free will without any
coercion. For example- If an individual is made to do something unethical at gunpoint he/she
can not be called unethical because the action is not performed with free will
• Resolving ethical dilemmas- Ethical values such as honesty, responsibility or integrity can
help in guiding an individual in dealing effectively with the dilemmas
Determinants of ethics [14:52:00]
• Determining what is right/ wrong is neither absolute nor universal
• These cannot be "One right way" of doing things that will be considered ethical for all time to
come
Determinants
• God/ religion - Many people trace their ethics to religion i.e. they believe something is good
because God says so. Religion advocates ethical standards which are considered universal.
For example- Nishkam Karma of Bhagavad Gita, the Eightfold path of Buddhism, and the
Philosophy of Anekantwada of Jainism. However, Religion is one of the determinants of ethics
but should not be equated with ethics because ethics are applicable to atheists also
• Human intuition
• A - We should not harm animals for fun
• B - Why?
• A - Because it causes them pain and we should not cause pain to others
 • B - Why?
• A- We should treat others as we want them to be treated
• B - Why?
• A - Because it is the right thing to do
• Sometimes we need to follow our intuition for example- based on this conversation we can
conclude what is good is good because it is good
• Society and culture
• Society and culture are important determinants of ethics but we should not equate ethics with
whatever society accepts as many times society can deviate from what is ethical. For
example- patriarchy, caste system, racism, etc
• The ethical principles are determined by social values, norms, etc for example- with respect to
live-in relationships, abortion, and homosexuality.
• Even the culture also influences ethical principles, hence it is said "Be a Roman in Rome"
• Media
• Media can also influence the ethical values of society through cinema
• The significance of commercial cinema lies in the values it portrays. For example- In earlier
cinema, it always promoted the ethical message that good triumphs over evil. However, with
time, the boundary between good and bad started getting blurred and there was the
glorification of negative characters in the cinema which led to the degradation of the moral
fabric of society. It was followed by the objectification and commodification of women which
further corrupted the value system
• Since cinema plays an important role in shaping ethics, it should be made with the intent to
promote social messages in society. For example- Pink, Dangal, Article 15, Padman, etc
• Leaders
• The leadership also helps in determining the conduct of their followers. In similar context
freedom fighters, socio-religious reformers, and thinkers have also influenced ethical values.
For example, Rani Lakshmibai for her courage, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel for his vision,
Mahatma Gandhi for his integrity etc
• Philosophy
• We will cover this under Normative Ethics
• Agencies of socialization
• Agencies of socialization such as family, schools, and personal life experiences also
determine the ethics
• Constitution
• In case of any dilemma, it should be constitutional morality that should prevail.
• Constitution is a way to establish the moral fabric of society. For example- The preamble,
Fundamental duties, DPSPs, etc
UPSC 2018 Essay- Customary morality should not be the guide to modern-day life
• Constitutional morality
• In the Sabarimala judgment, the court mentioned the doctrine of the living tree with respect to
the constitution that it is not static and the interpretation of the provisions can be widened, if
the situation arises
• Article 17 is also applicable with respect to Gender
The Topic for the next class:- Continuation of the Ethics and human interface.
Ethics Class 11
Determinants of ethics (01:02 PM)
• One way of the ways of determining whether human action is ethical or not.
• Object: Nature of the act ; morally wrong- lying; morally right- telling the truth
• This is the prime factor that provides the judgment of whether the action is morally right or
wrong.
 Circumstance:
•
It can add or subtract the morality of the action.
•
It is the circumstances that can add or subtract the morality of the action and it is involving the
•
situation context, person involved, etc.
• For example:
• a good act can be made even better e.g feeding a person who is starving.
• an indifferent act can be made good e.g sitting with a lonely person.
• a bad action can be turned worse e.g robbing a beggar of his only meal of the day.
• Purpose:
• Intention behind the act.
• a good act => bad; e.g making charity/ donation to lure someone
• a bad act =>good; e.g lying to help someone
• indifferent act => good; e.g a doctor running amidst traffic to save the life of a patient.
Consequences of ethics (01:22 PM)
• Effect or impact or implications of actions based on ethical principles.
• Individual • Societal
• Ethical life is a
source of
ultimate
happiness, • It will ensure
e.g blood equitable and
donation makes inclusive
us feel good. development as
Similarly ethics will
contributing to ensure fair
the upliftment of opportunities
vulnerable and distribution
sections tends of resources.
to provide
meaning to our
life.
• Ethical behavior
makes a person
emerge as a
higher-order • Ethics of justice,
being who is virtues, and
beyond the rationality will
lower-order motivate society
needs. to bring reforms
E.g Lord Ram and change.
did not care E.g socio-
about the need religious reform
for power movements that
wealth kingship led to the
but was focused abolition of Sati
on the virtues of pratha, child
courage marriage, etc.
compassion
responsibility
etc.
• Ethics will help
• An ethical us in
person gets establishing a
accepted, sustainable
appreciated, social order
and has through the
credibility in socialization of
society. the young
E.g honest civil generation with
servants. respect to
ethical values.
 • It will ensure
good
governance as
an individual
would be
motivated to
perform their
• Ethical behavior duties with the
leads to mutual utmost integrity.
kindness and E.g Alex Paul
hence good Menon's Bultoo
interpersonal experiment or
relations. Kiran Bedi's
E.g Unity in initiative with
diversity. respect to
reformative
justice.
Similarly,
Shashank Ala's
"My school is
my farm"
initiative.
• Question: "One of the tests of integrity is complete refusal to be compromised".
Explain with reference to real-life examples (10 marks/ 150 words).
• Question: " The crisis of ethical values in modern times is traced to a narrow
perception of a good life". Discuss. (10 marks/ 150 words).
Dimensions of ethics (02:13 PM)
• Descriptive ethics: what people think is right.
• Metaethics: what does right even means?
• Normative ethics: what is the right thing to do?
• Applied ethics: application of moral knowledge in real-life situations.
• Descriptive ethics: It is the study of people's beliefs about morality. It tries to explain the
moral and ethical practices and beliefs of certain societies and cultures.
• It aims to uncover people's understanding of which actions are right or wrong. It involves
empirical investigation as it investigates what society rewards or punishes.
• It is value-free as it does not make any judgments about what people consider to be right or
wrong. One of the examples of descriptive ethics is Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of stages of
moral development.
• Lawrence Kohlberg was an American Psychologist who was known for his theory of stages of
moral development. He believed that moral development like cognitive development follows a
series of stages, he defines three levels of moral development- pre-conventional,
conventional, and post-conventional.
• He used a storytelling technique to tell stories involving moral dilemmas.
• In each case he presented the choice to be considered and the way in which individuals
reason and respond to the dilemma determined the stage of moral development. One of the
best-known dilemmas created by him was Heinz's dilemma which discussed the idea of
obeying the law vs saving a life.
• Heinz's dilemma:
• Heinz's wife was dying due to cancer however the new drug discovered might save her.
• But the chemist was demanding 10 times the cost of the drug which Heinz could not afford.
• Even after multiple requests the chemist did not agree. Hence out of desperation Heinz broke
into the shop and stole the drug.
• Kohlberg asked a few questions- should Heinz have stolen the drug? will anything change
if Heinz did not love his wife? should police arrest the chemist for murder if the woman dies? it
is the response to these questions which led to the development of the stages.
• Stages • •
• Right and wrong
are defined by
what they get
punished for
• Stage 1
• Pre Right and wrong
conventional are determined
Stage 2
by what we are
rewarded for, and
by doing what
others want.
• The child adopts
a conformist
attitude to
morality i.e right
and wrong are
• Stage 3 determined by
the majority.
• Conventional In this, we obey
the laws without
Stage 4 question and
show respect for
authority. Most
adults do not
progress past this
stage.
 • Right and wrong
are determined
by personal
values although
they can be
overridden by
laws, however,
when laws
infringe our own
sense of justice
we can choose to
ignore them.
We no live in
• Stage 5
accordance with
our own moral
• Post
principles which
conventional
may or may not
fit the law. These
Stage 6
principles are
human rights,
justice, equality,
etc. People are
ready to defend
these principles
even if it means
going against
society. e.g
socio-religious
reformers, social
activists, honest
officials, etc.
• Question: Write a short note on each of the following: (15 marks/ 5 marks each)
• Descriptive ethics
• Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development
• Heinz dilemma.
Meta-ethics (03:17 PM)
• What does right even means?
• It is a subcomponent of ethics as it deals with the meaning of ethics and its concepts.
• It can be referred to as an "evaluation of ethics".
• E.g what is meant by the wrong action, why stealing is immoral action?
• Examples of meta-ethical philosophies- absolutism, relativism, objectivism, subjectivism, and
nihilism.
• Moral absolutism: it is the ethical belief that there exist absolute standards against which the
moral questions can be judged i.e there are certain actions that are right or wrong irrespective
of the context.
• It is a philosophy according to which there exists an absolute definition for moral conduct and
the definition does not change with circumstances. e.g most religions have absolutist
positions and consider their system of morality as being set by the god himself, therefore, is
perfect absolute, and unchangeable.
 • Moral relativism: nothing is right or wrong for all time to come. It depends upon the context
or the social cultural or historical circumstances. e.g the people who adhere to this philosophy
believe in "when in Rome do as Romans do".
• E.g in India in some communities cross-cousin marriages are moral whereas in others it is
immoral. Similarly, there are some communities where families are patrilocal whereas there
are some who prefer matrilocal.
• Moral objectivism: it is based on the belief that certain actions are objectively right or wrong
independent of human opinion. e.g upholding the dignity of women or fulfilling fundamental
duties is morally right.
• Moral subjectivism: they are of the view that moral right or wrong depends upon individuals'
perception, judgment, or understanding. e.g some individuals consider development good for
the country's economic growth while others consider that it will lead to the displacement of
tribals or enhanced environmental degradation.
Moral Nihilism (03:38 PM)
• It is a philosophy that believes that there is nothing inherently right and wrong in ethics. All
ethical standards have been constructed by society e.g according to a moral nihilist killing
someone is not wrong but neither it is right.
• Similarly, capital punishment is prohibited in many countries on ethical grounds while many
favors it.
• However, this concept is different from relativism, which allows for actions to be wrong or right
in relation to something whereas nihilists believe nothing is right or wrong but a social
fabrication or an artificial method of social control.
• According to the morality as a concept is redundant and even events like terrorism, and child
abuse is neither right nor wrong.
The topic for the next class is moral thinkers.
Ethics Class 12
A Brief Overview Of The Previous Class- (01:00 PM)
Normative Ethics - (01:04 PM)
• How people should act?
• What is the right thing to do?
• It is aka "Prescriptive Ethics"
• How action can be prescribed, can be determined based on the followings principles-
• 1) Action Based
• 2) Virtue based
• 3) Justice based
Action Based ethics- (01:09 PM)
• The moral worth of the action is determined by -
• Means-
• 1) It is also referred to as Duty Based on Ethics.
• 2) Referred to as deontological.
• 3) That action is ethical is determined by whether the action is right or not irrespective of the
consequences.
• 4) For example - The philosophy of "Nishkam Karma", where the focus is on performing
the duties rather than the consequences.
• 5) Action is performed, keeping in mind the duties of self and rights of others.
• However, the approach is criticized for being rigid as according to them "there is no wrong
way of doing the right thing"
• Ends-
• 1) Also known as consequential ethics or Teleology.
• 2) Here, the action is ethical or not depending on its consequences.
 • 3) The focus is on the outcome rather than the process as "END JUSTIFY MEANS".
• 4) For Example- the concept of Robin hood or jumping the traffic signal to save someone's
life.
• 5) However, the approach is criticized as it is not always possible to predict the consequences
of the action.
Teleology Approach and Deontology Approach (01:23 PM)
(Explanation)
• For example-
• 1) General Ward- casual labor - now healthy and will be discharged today.
• ICU- 4 patients - corporate, scientist, politician, surgeon.
• 2) Train example
Teleology (aka consequentialism) -
• Psychological egoism (Thomas Hobbes) -
• 1) It states that self-interest motivates all human actions.
• 2) It is a descriptive theory and one of the major philosophers of this theory is Thomas
Hobbes.
• Ethical Egoism (Ayn Rand)
• 1) All individuals should be motivated by self-interest while performing their actions.
• 2) It is a prescriptive theory that recommends how human action should be and one of the
major philosophers is Ayn Rand.
Thomas Hobbes - (01:54 PM)
• 1) He was an English Philosopher who gave his theory during the time of the English Civil
war.
• 2) He establishes the foundation for western political philosophy
• His Philosophy-
• 1) According to him, Human by nature is selfish, Brutish, self-preserving, etc.
• 2) He cannot maintain peace and stability therefore people should come together through a
social contract to form a state or government.
• 3) He also believed that humans will engage in a fears battle for scarce resources to fulfill
their vested interests.
• Hence he called for a Leviathan state with the following provisions-
• 1) Absolute power to govern.
• 2) People have no right to revolt against the state.
• 3) People do not have absolute rights.
• 4) The state should emphasize education to induce obedience among people.
• For example- rule in North Korea can be considered the nearest example of the modern
Leviathan state.
Ayn Rand- (02:01 PM)
• She was a writer and philosopher who supported ethical egoism.
• The Ethical egoism virtue of selfishness.
• According to her, an individual should exist for his or her own sake, that is neither sacrificing
himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself.
• She condemned ethical altruism as she considered it incompatible with the requirements of
human life and happiness.
• Example - According to this philosophy, altruistic surrogacy is not justified.
Utilitarianism (Jeremy Bentham) - (02:05 PM)
• It is a doctrine of ethics according to which an action is right -
• 1) If it benefits the majority
• 2) If it brings happiness
• Bentham and mill pioneered utilitarianism
 • Application -
• 1) At the individual level
• Self-interest
• 2) At the societal level-
• Greater happiness for a greater number
• 3) At the governance level -
• To maximize the benefits of the government scheme, policies, etc.
Jeremy Bentham - (02:22 PM)
• His philosophy was based on the principle of pleasure and pain which is to maximize pleasure
and minimize pain.
• According to this approach, the moral worth of an action is judged on the basis of a dictum,
"greater happiness for a greater number"
• For example - if you need to establish a power plant or a dam and the interest of 20 tribal
families is at stake Bentham's philosophy will not pay attention to it.
• That is there was no value in liberty individual dignity and human rights.
• Secondly, according to him, happiness is just about how much one is happy and not about the
quality of happiness.
• He justified this by stating "Push-pin is the same as poetry".
• However, his philosophy was criticized in that he overlooks the interest of minorities and he
defined happiness only in a materialistic sense and value-based happiness does not appear
in the scheme of Bentham.
Revisited Utilitarianism (JS MILL) -( 02:28 PM)
• To defend utilitarianism, he put forward his perspective -
• 1) He supported Utilitarism but in such a way that individual action should not bring harm to
society.
• That the pleasure of an individual should not bring displeasure to society.
• 2) He distinguished between higher and lower pleasure where intellectually based pleasure is
considered more important.
• For example - hard work vs entertainment.
• 3) Bentham provided quantitative utilitarianism where as Mill provided qualitative
utilitarianism.
• He said, "it is better to be a Socrates dissatisfied rather than a fool satisfied".
• He has put forward the ideas of liberty where he mentioned that in the process of serving the
interest of the majority the interest of the minority shall not be compromised, as their liberty is
non-negotiable.
• For example- with respect to constructing a dam, the consent of the tribal families is
absolutely mandatory.
• Overall for JS Mill, it is said that he was a "Peter who denied his master".
Utilitarianism and concept of common good - (02:38 PM)
• Utilitarianism -
• 1) Individual is treated as a unit.
• 2) Aim is to produce happiness for the majority of individuals.
• For example- CCT, DBT, Subsidies, etc.
• 3) Application of "Giving a dole".
• Concept of the common good-
• 1) Society is treated as a Unit
• 2) Its aim is to promote the happiness and development of society as a whole.
• For example- the construction of roads, schools, colleges, etc.
• 3) Application of "landing a hand".
Deontological Approach - (02:45 PM)
 • Let us consider two situations -
• On one hand, it refers to the example of people stranded on a boat where in order to survive
three people killed one person,
• On the other hand, There was a situation where a bomb was planted by a terrorist in a
populated area.
• It is believed that by torturing his information can be extracted and thousands of innocent lives
can be saved.
• According to deontology, both actions are wrong and immoral as killing and torturing are
wrong.
• Hence to reduce the rigidity of the approach, the concept of threshold deontology is put
forward.
Threshold deontology - (02:55 PM)
• It is a theory that holds that an act that is wrong otherwise can be morally justified if the
consequences surpass a certain threshold of seriousness.
• For example- in the above-mentioned case, torturing a terrorist to save a thousand lives is
still justified as against the first example.
Questions - 02:58 PM
1) Write a short note on each of the following - (5 marks / 40-50 words each)
• a) Descriptive and normative ethics
• b) Psychological and ethical egoism
• c) Utilitarianism and revisited Utilitarianism
• d) Concept of Threshold deontology
• e) Concept of common good
The Topic to be discussed in the next class is the continuation of ethical thinkers.
Ethics Class 13
A Brief Overview Of The Previous Class - (05:06 PM)
Normative Ethics - (05:10 PM)
• Action-based ethics-
• a) Means
• b) Ends
• Virtue-based ethics-
• a) Socrates
• b) Plato
• c) Aristotle
• Justice-based ethics -
• a) Aristotle
• b) Rawl's
• c) Amartya sen
• Right-based ethics-
• John Locke
Thinker Under Deontology - (05:17 PM)
1) Immanuel Kant
• Known as the father of the "Deontological Approach".
• Which states "No wrong way of doing the right thing"
• He introduced the concept of the "Categorical Imperative "-
• Categorical means- Absolute/ Non-Negotiable.
• Imperative means- Need of the hour.
• According to him, the Categorical imperative is the "fundamental principle of morality."
• The categorical Imperative is based on "4 principles" -
• 1) Principle of Duty -
 • Acting right because it is the right thing to do, not because of some fear or rewards attached
to it.
• 2) Principle of Universality -
• Acting in such a way that it can be made into a Universal law.
• 3) Principle of Equality -
• These Universal laws should apply to all including the self. If there are exceptions and anyone
is excluded, then the law is not based on the Categorical Imperative.
• 4) Principle of Humanism -
• People should never be treated as means but they should be an end in themselves.
• Hence, Duty should be done for the welfare of the people rather than using them in the
process of fulfilling the duty.
Questions- (05:50 PM)
1) About the morality of actions, one view is that means are of paramount importance and
the other view is that the ends justify the means. Which view do you think is more
appropriate? Justify your answer. (150 words/10 marks)
2) Human beings should always be treated as ‘ends’ in themselves and never be treated as
merely `means’ to serve some end. What do you mean by the statement justify with
examples? (150 words/10 marks)
Virtue-based Ethics - (05:55 PM)
• Also referred to as the "Character Based Approach".
• Here, Under this philosophy, action is considered right if it is an action that a virtuous person
would carry out in the same circumstances.
• It is based on the assumption that virtuous people will likely make the right choice when faced
with ethical dilemmas.
• The moral character of a society can be shaped by inculcating virtues and eliminating vices
and this can be done through the process of socialization.
• However, this approach has a limitation -
• That is - What constitutes a virtue? since different people in different cultures and societies
have different opinions on what counts as a virtue.
2) Socrates- (06:04 PM)
• Philosopher of the classical period.
• Referred to as the "father of western Philosophy".
• According to him, "Knowledge is a virtue".
• In the words of Socrates, "an unexamined life is not worth living".
• One should question, accept and reject the facts and through this, one will be able to build a
scientific temper.
• The unexamined life is one where the individual is not aware of the meaning and purpose of
life.
• It is not worth living, For example -
• At an individual level, today people have a narrow conception of life. where they are
immersed in Arth and Kama but without focussing on Dharma and still want to achieve
Moksha.
• Similarly, at the societal level, there are social conflicts due to intolerance.
• At the political level, the Criminalization of politics, castigation of politics, criminalization of
politics.
• At the Economic level, consumerism, corruption inequality, etc.
• At the environmental level, environmental degradation, and urbanization of pandemics. etc.
• (It also finds its manifestation in the context of Indian philosophy, for example- according to
Bhagwat Gita, Moksha can be achieved through Gyan Marg.
• Similarly, Jainism also calls for the right knowledge to achieve Kaivalaya.
Question - (06:27 PM)
• Life Unexamined is not worth living. What do you mean by the statement, Justify it with
examples. (150 words/10 marks)
3) Plato - (06:28 PM)
• 4 Cardinal virtues-
• 1) Wisdom
• The application of knowledge in the right direction is referred to as wisdom.
• It plays a vital role in regulating all other virtues.
• For example-
• Dr. Rajendra Bharu concerning dealing with oxygen scarcity during the second wave.
• Praveen Kasdan, the Indian forest service official used social media in promoting indigenous
products like water bottles made of bamboo.
• 2) Temperance -
• Moderation in -
• Thoughts
• Emotions
• Actions.
• "eat not to dullness, drink not to elevation".
• Lack of temperance leads to -
• Consumerism
• Lifestyle disease
• Addiction
• Debt trap.
• Mental Health Issues.
• Fear of missing out.
• Leading to -
• Corruption,
• Violence
• Temperance is defined as a strength that protects us against any excess and consists of self-
regulation.
• Due to overdependence on technology, the process of self-discovery has been outsourced to
technology.
• 3) Courage-
• According to Plato, here courage was not just about military strength but the ability to
acknowledge the truth and embrace it.
• Here courage referees to ensuring justice and also remove the obstacles from the path of
justice and stand against wrongdoings.
• For example-
• Freedom fighters, honest administrative officials, social religious reformers, etc.
4) Justice - (06:59 PM)
• According to Plato Justice reside at two levels-
• 1) Individual human being.
• 2) At the level of the state.
• Humans have three qualities although in different proportions -
• 1) Reason ( it resides in the person's head)
• 2) Spirit ( It resides in a person's heart)
• 3) Appetite ( It resides in a person's stomach)
• when all these qualities do their rightful business, justice is served at the individual level.
• Secondly, these three parts that exist in every individual should be reflected in the state,
which is a collective of human beings through the formation of three classes, -
 • 1) Ruling class
• 2) Military class
• 3) Economic class
• Only then the ideal state would be created.
• According to Plato, the three major parts -
• 1) Intellect - which is to reason and learn.
• 2) Emotion - to be motivated.
• 3) Appetite - To know when we need something.
• According to Plato, vice people use their emotions to motivate them to do what intellect finds
valuable but unwise people use their emotions to motivate them to overindulge in appetite.
which leads to various problems -
• Consumerism, addiction, etc.
4) Aristotle- (07:15 PM)
• ''Golden mean" is a virtue.
• Finds similarity with The concept of the Middle path of Buddhism.
Indecisiveness self-control Impulsiveness
Quarrelsome Friendship Flattery
Apathy composure Irritability
Humility modesty pride
Coward courage rashness
The Topic To Be Discussed In the next Class will be the Continuation of Justice based
Ethics.
Ethics Class 14
A Brief Overview Of The Previous Class - (01:11 PM)
Justice-based Ethics- (01:13 PM)
• 1) Concerning crime -
• a) Retributive -
• Retributive in the literal sense means exchange/ reciprocity/ Quid pro quo.
• The criminals will be punished for the crimes they have committed.
• However, while giving punishment to criminals the following principles need to be
followed -
• a) Proportionate justice.
• b) No retrospective law.
• c) No double jeopardy.
• Challenges-
• Retribution focuses on punishment rather than reforms.
• Hence there is the probability of falling into the spiral of committing the crime.
b) Reformative Justice - (01: 20 PM)
• Focuses on reform/rehabilitation.
• Using counseling, meditation, ethics, and vocational training.
• This idea of justice is based on the perspective of Mahatma Gandhi "hate the sin, and not
the sinner".
• In different judicial pronouncement apex court has also emphasized reformative justice by
observing "every saint has a past and every sinner has a future".
• Hence, Reformative Justice should complement retributive justice but should not replace it.
• For example- Juveniles were being used to commit crimes which led to the amendment of
the Juvenile Justice Act.
c) Deterrence-based Justice - (01:35 PM)
• It is not the severity but the certainty of the law, which acts as a deterrence factor.
• Hence to prevent crime, we need stringent laws as well as the certainty of laws.
• There is a lack of certainty in in-laws due to the following factors-
• Lack of sensitization among the stakeholders concerning various crimes.
• Lack of reporting due to stigmatization of violence.
• Corruption or nexus between law enforcement agencies and perpetrators of crime.
• Lack of professional investigation.
• Lack of training.
• Lack of separation of law and order from the investigation.
• Lack of awareness about the law.
d) Compensation-based Justice - (01:44 PM)
• To ensure Justice, especially in the context of vulnerable sections or in the case of Communal
atrocities compensation constitutes an important element of justice as it is required for their
basic survival.
2) Distributive Justice - (02:03 PM)
• a) Aristotle's idea of Justice-
• It is unjust to treat equals, unequally, as it is unjust to treat unequal equally".
• Hence, "Equals should be treated equally and unequal should be treated unequally".
• He proposed the theory of Distributive justice where the distribution of wealth or resources
among the community or individual will be directly proportional to their merit.
• This justice is the virtuous means between the vices of giving more or less than deserving.
• However, this theory was criticized for being elitist as it has not taken into account the
historical injustice, social barriers, or the socio-economic position of the individual in society.
• Hence, to renew the discussion on justice Rawl put forward his theory of Justice.
Assignment question - (02:21 PM)
• Every work has to pass through hundreds of difficulties before succeeding. Those who
persevere will see the light, sooner or later. What do you mean by the statement,
Justify with examples? Swami Vivekanand. (150 words/10 marks)
b) Rawl's Theory of Justice - (02:40 PM)
• According to Rawl, an individual is capable of making rational decisions, and based on this
assumption he gave the theory of Justice.
• It is the standard used in decision-making by considering the facts and without any prejudices
also known as the "veil of ignorance".
• It is a hypothetical situation before starting the starting society when people decide the
principles on which the society is built.
• The principles are set by the people, who are unaware of the social positions they will occupy
in the future society.
• That is unaware of being a rich, poor, minority, majority, etc.
• This will ensure just and fair principles will be developed as each individual will contribute to
making the provisions that will benefit the entire society, keeping in mind the worst-case
scenario.
• He suggested the following principles-
• 1) Liberty for all.
• 2) Equal opportunity for all - formal equality - the most important post will be occupied by
the most talented and for this an open competition (equality of opportunity) without taking into
consideration their socio-economic background.
• 3) Difference principle -
• Differences will be justified if it benefits the disadvantaged section.
• It is creating the scope for state intervention to reduce inequalities in society.
 • However, Rawl's theory of Justice was critiqued and revised by Amartya sen, when he
gave his idea of Justice.
Rawl's theory of justice - (02:59 PM)
• Justice can be ensured through the distribution of resources.
• However, Amartya sen's idea of justice-specified resource distribution is not sustainable
and makes people dependent.
• Hence, he prescribed a capability approach. (investment in social infrastructure).
Question - (03:12 PM)
• Discuss the application of Rawl's theory of Justice in the Indian Context. (150 words/10
marks).
• Compare and contrast Rawl's theory of Justice with Amartya sen's idea of justice. (150
words/10 marks).
The Topic To Be Discussed In the Next Class Will Be Rights Based Ethics and Answer
Writing Practice.
Ethics Class 15
Revision of previous class (9:10 AM):
• Aristotle- It is unjust to treat equals unequally and unequal equally; justice will be served
when equals are treated equally and people get what they deserve.
• Rawls believed appealing to rationality would be more effective in serving justice than
expecting people to sacrifice for others.
• Rawls also gave the difference principle in which he stated: any inequality that is permitted
in society should only be permitted on the basis that it benefits the least favored in society.
Amartya Sen (9:17 AM):
• An economist who was awarded a Nobel prize for his contribution to welfare economics.
• He put forward the idea of justice where he focussed on the capacity development of the
individual.
• He wanted to ensure real freedom which can only usher if the people have the freedom of
doing things.
• Hence, he gave the policy prescription of investing in social infrastructure.
Contemporary examples:
• Nurturing demographic dividend and longevity dividend.
• Longevtiy dividend refers to the economic growth potential due to increase in life expectancy.
• Promoting self employment/ entrepreneurship.
• Human capital formation- knowledge, health and skill that an individual has acquired during
their lifetime so as to become the productive asset for society.
Who gets the flute?
• Let us assume that X asked Y to
manufacture a flute for himself, in return
for payment.
• After the flute is made, A, B & C approach
Y with their arguments:-
Person
Argument
A:

I know how to play the flute and hence deserve

the flute rightfully. (Right-Based ethics)
B:

I am willing to pay the maximum amount. With

money, more flutes can be made, and hence,
more people will be happy. (Utilitarianism)
C:
I don’t play the flute, but I need it for begging
and this can be my only source of income.
(Humanitarian perspective)
◦ There is also the argument of X that
he had asked Y to produce the flute.
◦ None of the above four claims are
unreasonable.
◦ The final answer was not given by
Amartya Sen.
◦
◦
• Right Based Justice (9:28 AM):
• The moral worth of an action is determined by whether the action has infringed upon the
rights of an individual and/or a group of individuals.
• Rights are referred to as entitlements enjoyed by individuals identified by society and backed
& sanctioned by the state.
• Natural rights:
• These rights are provided by mere existence and they are ordained by nature.
• They are abstract as they are not written anywhere.
• There exists no proper enforcement mechanism.
• Hence, there was a need to codify them so that accountability can be ensured.
• It led to the emergence of human rights.
Human rights:
• The minimum basic right enjoyed by the individual by the virtue of being human.
• These rights are fundamental to the existence and of a dignified life for human beings.
• The idea of human rights emerged post World War II.
• During the interwar period, there was a rise of a fascist state- the German state under the
reign of Hitler which committed atrocities against Jews.
• This holocaust shook the collective conscience of the international community.
• There were trials conducted under” crimes against humanity”, which resulted in the universal
declaration of human rights.
• Contemporary applications:
 • Human trafficking, bonded labor, child labor, use of humans in clinical trials, development-
induced displacement, forced migration, mob lynching, custodial deaths, fake encounters,
marital rape, capital punishment, surrogacy( one perspective), euthanasia, etc.
• John Locke was a huge advocate of freedom and governance by consent.
• According to him, there are three natural rights- life, liberty, and property and they are
inalienable.
• The founding fathers of our constitution also believed in the perspective of Locke which can
be seen through article 21, article 19(1)(f) (now under 300 A).
Strategy for statement-based questions (explanations) (9:50 AM):
• Introduction- Interpretation of the statement.
• The easiest way to introduce the answer will be paraphrasing the statement- elaborating the
statement in your own words.
• Paraphrasing must only be done in one of the three expected statement questions.
• Another way of introducing is by covering the premise/context of the statement.
• We can use current examples here.
• Another way of introducing the question can be by defining the main keyword in the
statement.
• Never state a statement-based question with another statement; it can be used in the
conclusion though.
• If we face difficulty in understanding the question, we must look up the Hindi translation.
Body- Explanation of the, and examples to justify the explanation.
• We need to give various arguments and related examples.
• We must avoid our own life or fictional examples as they usually take up more time and space
and the examiner might not identify with them.
• We just prepare examples of expected question themes beforehand.
• While thinking( and later writing) the examples, we can bifurcate them as Social, International,
Economical, Political, etc.so that we can think( and later write) in a channeled manner
Conclusion- Prescription and/or overall inference( subjected to time and word limit).
• We can use dohas, shlokas, government schemes taglines, etc.
• We must avoid preparing them separately and use only those which we can recall while
writing the answer.
Answer writing practice:
• Question 1- Life does not make any sense without independence. We need each other and
the sooner we learn that is better for us- Erik Erikson.
• Examples: Citizen & state, environment, separation of powers, border disputes, globalization,
Jajmani system, cooperative federalism, individual & society, freedom struggle
Question 2-(10:22 AM)- Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it- Dalai
Lama. (2022 mains):
• Approach: We can mention both the perspectives of desired and undesired success.
• Desired success is when someone gives up something precious to attain something higher-
Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, etc.
• Undesired success is when success comes at a much larger or undesirable cost like Ashoka
after the Kalinga war, clearing forests for malls, etc.
Assignment question- Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have the right to do and
what is right to do- Potter Stewart. ( 2022 mains).
• Hint: We need to cover the topic of legal but unethical and unethical but legal, along with
examples.
Applied Ethics:
 • Students need to cover applied ethics from the uploaded handout and focus mainly on the
definitions, dimensions( pillars) and associated examples.

Ethics_JG Class 01
A Brief Introduction of the topics to be covered- (01:18 PM)
Topics -
• Foundational Values In Civil Services.
• Probity in Governance.
• Ethical dilemmas in Public Institutions.
• Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct.
• Utilization of Public Funds.
• Corporate Governance.
• Ethics in International Relations.
Sources-
• Value Added Material for ethics.
• Lexicon.
• 2nd ARC reports.
• PDF of DoPT released manual on Values in administration.
• For case studies -
• Padma Award Citation.
• Prime-minister award for excellence in public administration Citations- Given every year on
civil services day.
• Better India.
• Nexus for good.
• Previous year questions.
Foundational values of civil services - (01:41 PM)
• Values-
• Behavior or belief guides an individual's action. It is guiding their attitude toward others.
• Values are not static across space and time, values vary.
• Values are intrinsic beliefs of an individual or a group, that guide and motivate one's attitude,
thinking, and behavior.
• Every individual has a different set of values to which he or she gives importance, yet some
values are considered universal.
• For example- Truthfulness, honesty courage, loyalty, helpfulness, and compassion.
Spatial and temporal differences in values- (02:01 PM)
• Values vary spatially and temporally.
• For example, it may not be wrong to wear an undergarment printed with the national flag in
the United States of America but it may be considered objectionable and disrespectful in
India.
• Generally, people are predisposed to adopt the values they are raised with.
• People also believe that those values are "right" because they are the values of their
particular culture and may not necessarily apply to other cultures.
• Ethical decision-making often involves weighing values against each other and choosing
which values should be alleviated.
Foundational values- (02:08 PM)
• These are those values and principles that form the very basis of an organization.
• In other words, they form the core identity of an organization.
• Foundational values permeate across the entire work culture of an organization from the top
to the bottom.
 • These values are set by the leadership of the organization and guide the internal and external
behaviors of that organization.
• For example- Employee centricity of TATA'S, Innovation of Google. etc.
Significance of defining Foundational Values for the civil services - (02:17 PM)
• 1) Civil servants possess wide discretionary powers by following the foundational values they
can maximize the public good.
• 2) Civil servants often faced ethical dilemmas and relying on foundational values can help
them arrive at quick decisions.
• 3) They ensure consistency and uniformity in the decision-making and the actions of the civil
servants.
• 4) They can help in establishing or re-establishing the lost trust between the civil servants and
the citizens.
• 5) They can help in ensuring the maximum utilization of limited resources for the well-being of
society.
• 6) Following the foundational values can help in achieving the desired objectives of civil
services and the ideal of good governance.
Important foundational values of civil services- (02:35 PM)
• 1) Selflessness- Putting your interest secondary to the interest of people is called
selflessness.
• 2) Accountability - Every Civil servant should be ready to be open to questions on the
decisions they have taken.
• 3) Honesty- Should be truthful and not deceitful in any way.
• 4) Patriotism - Upholding national pride.
• 5) Diligence - He should have attendance to detail and should be hardworking.
• 6) Transparency - Telling the people the criteria for their decisions.
• 7) Courage - He should be ready to take tough decisions/ challenges.
• 8) Compassion- Should be able to feel the pain of others and make it his own.
• 9) Perseverance - Should be fighting doubt and carrying out work without achieving the
desired result.
• 10) Dedication to public service- Should be solely dedicated to the cause of public services,
and should not be driven by personal likes or dislikes.
• 11) Integrity - Practice what they preach, willing to put themselves as part of public scrutiny.
Homework -(02:42 PM)
• 1) Think about five values that are most important to you and rank them in order of
priority along with justification for the ranking.
• 2) Think of situations in which you have shown those values in your actions.
• 3) Think of five values that are most important for a civil servant in your opinion also
find examples of people who have shown these values in their actions. (These could be
examples of civil servants, political figures, historical figures, and sportspersons).
Sources of foundational values for civil services - (03:07 PM)
• 1) Constitution of India- like provisions of the preamble, FRs, and DPSPs can be a crucial
source to understand the foundational value of civil services.
• 2) Code of conduct - AIS conduct rule 1968, 1964.
• 3) International laws and conventions- UNDHR- United Nations declaration on human
rights.
• 4) Memoirs of civil servants/ Autobiography of civil servants- like TSR Subramanyam's,
Bureaucrzy gets crazier.
• 5) Historical events - Debates of the constituent assembly, to know the foundation of this
nation.
 • 6) Religious and spiritual texts - like Mahabharat, "the difficulty of being good" by
Gurucharan Das.
• 7) UN Code of conduct for public services.
• 8) The public service code bill -2007.
Values- Sympathy, Empathy, and Compassion- (03:17 PM)
(Explanation)
• Sympathy - looking at someone who is in pain and recognizing his pain, it is just using one's
cognitive ability to recognize one's pain.
• Empathy - feel the suffering as if it's one's own. it is putting yourself in the shoes of others.
You cognitively engage yourself in that situation.
• Compassion - It is going beyond empathy. here one is engaged to relieve the suffering of
others. That is here, one acts to relieve the suffering of others.
Values- Sympathy, Empathy, and Compassion- (03:35 PM)
(Dictation)
• Sympathy refers to a situation wherein an individual recognizes the pain and agony of other
individuals.
• Empathy on the other hand is putting oneself in the shoes of others as if it is one's pain.
• In empathy, an individual engages himself cognitively rather than only recognizing the pain
superficially.
• Compassion means taking action to relieve someone from the pain and suffering one is
experiencing.
• Compassion is a four-step process -
• 1) Being aware of someone's feelings.
• 2) To be moved emotionally by someone's suffering.
• 3) Developing a desire to resolve someone's suffering.
• 4) Taking necessary steps to resolve someone's suffering.
• Compassion shows the highest level of kindness of a person, who is ready to endure pain for
the sake of others.
• It requires a person to be self-aware and to be attentive to the needs of others and to be
committed to the care of others.
• Dalai Lama says, "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries and without
them, humanity cannot survive".
Significance of compassion for the civil services- (03:45 PM)
• 1) All the other values are meaningless without compassion.
• The varied purpose of civil services is to relieve the pain and suffering of the people which
cannot be achieved without compassion.
• 2) We are often victims of various stereotypes in society which can be overcome by showing
more empathy and compassion.
• 3) It can help in bridging the trust deficit that exists between the government and citizens.
• 4) It plays a crucial role in ensuring citizen-centric administration.
How to inculcate compassion in civil servants - (03:57 PM)
• Organizing regular field visits for civil servants.
• Cultivating interest in the culture of other communities through activities such as Bharat
Darshan, India Day, etc.
• Organizing role-plays activities, such as the one conducted at the National Police
Academy.
• Organizing Janata Durbar to get a first-hand perspective of the problems of the people.
• Organizing sensitivity training for civil servants throughout their careers.
The topic to be discussed in the next class will be other foundational values like objectivity,
tolerance, selflessness, etc.
Ethics_JG Class 02
A brief overview of the last class:(9:11 AM):
• Honesty, Compassion, Empathy, and Sympathy.
Objectivity(explanation):
• Taking decisions on the basis of facts, figures rationality, and not as per pre-conceived
notions, prejudices, etc.
• Along with objectivity, compassion is also important so as to avoid inhumane decision-making.
• Today there are many analytical tools to both impart and check objectivity in decisions.
Objectivity( dictation)( 9:22 AM):
• It refers to taking decisions and actions on the basis of analyzing relevant facts and
considerations.
• It means not being influenced by one's personal feelings and opinions.
• Therefore, one can say that objectivity is a lack of bias, prejudices, and stereotypes in one's
thinking and decision-making.
• An objective civil servant would take decisions on the basis of facts, pieces of evidence,
figures, and analysis of these facts and figures.
• The opposite of objectivity is subjectivity which means taking decisions on the basis of one's
biases.
Significance of objectivity for civil servants:
• Civil servants take decisions without the benefit of hindsight and objectivity can help in
ensuring that decision-making is more accurate.
• Civil servants need to be accountable for their actions and stay objective in their decision
making can help them justify their decisions at a later stage.
• It gives a sense of fairness to the citizens and can play an important role in protecting the trust
of the citizens in the government.
• It promotes merit, especially with respect to recruitment in the government.
• It can go a long way in curbing corruption in the system as chances of personal gains are
minimized.
• Ignoring relevant considerations can result in a situation where policies that are well-intended
may result in opposite consequences.
Inculcating objectivity in civil services(9:35 AM):
• Use of data-analytical tools for decision-making purposes.
• Seeking feedback from the citizens on service-delivery mechanisms- for example- the
Bombay Municipal Corporation initiated the "Citizen's Report Card program" to seek valuable
inputs from the citizens on the services provided by various authorities.
• The social audit can be a powerful mechanism for inculcating objectivity in civil servants.
• It should be institutionalized and made an inseparable part of service delivery as has been
done in the case of MGNREGA.
• By evolving a comprehensive Code of Conduct that is followed diligently by civil servants.
Concerns associated with objectivity:
• Taking an objective approach is not possible at all times, especially because of the lack of
availability of data in the government.
• A person who emphasizes too much on objectivity may become insensitive and ignore the
genuine problems of the citizens.
• It may not be possible to be objective at all times, as human beings by nature are biased and
partisan.
• Being objective may not be useful in certain situations, especially in resolving ethical
dilemmas.
Courage (explanation) ( 9:50 AM):
• It means doing one's duty without considering the consequences.
 • It does not mean the absence of fear.
• Fear is an evolutionary and natural trait ingrained in humans from the history of hunter-
gatherer existence.
Some examples of courage:
• Chief of the Army Staff- Sam Maneckshaw told Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that her thought
timing of the war in East Pakistan would be catastrophic for India, but if he is given sufficient
time, he would ensure resounding Indian victory.
• P S Appu resigned as director of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration
(LBSNAA) on the grounds of adherence to the values of LBSNAA
• Shah Commission- when civil servants were asked to bend, they crawled.
• Nazi officers could have averted the genocide.
Courage (dictation)(10:05 AM):
• The ability to take decisions and actions and to stick to one's values and principles, even
when there is a possibility of unfavorable outcomes.
• Nelson Mandela said- "courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it".
• Courage is the first of human qualities because it guarantees adherence to other values.
• It helps individuals in taking ethically correct decisions however tough the situations and the
circumstances are.
Significance of courage :
• It allows the civil servants to stay on the best course of action despite hardships and
temptations.
• Financial irregularities have become the part and parcel of the government system and to
expose them as well as to stand up against them, one needs courage.
• Courage is important to ensure a well-functioning society as Napoleon once said- "the world
suffers a lot not because of the violence of the bad but because of the silence of the good".
• It helps civil servants to stay firm on their core values and principles.
• Civil servants often take unpopular and difficult decisions and showing courage can help them
in such situations.
Inculcation of courage in civil servants(10:20 AM):
• Enacting a strong whistle-blower protection mechanism so that they can expose the
wrongdoings of the government.
• The biggest fear that civil servants face while taking action is getting transferred and shunted
to far-flung areas or less significant departments.
• Making the process of appointments, postings, and transfers apolitical in nature by
establishing mechanisms such as Civil Services Board( TSR Subramaniam case 2011).
• We may also consider providing a fixed tenure for important postings and appointments.
• Recognizing or rewarding the acts of courage by civil servants.
• An independent constitutional body like UPS may be given a bigger role in deciding
appointments, postings, and transfers of civil servants.
Dedication to public service( explanation)(10:35 AM):
• The ability to dedicate oneself to public service at times of inconvenience.
• It includes being selfless.
Dedication to public service( dictation)(10:45 AM):
• It is the quality of being able to apply one's time and attention entirely to public service.
• It refers to a commitment, passion, and a personal urge to do something for the public good
without any external force.
• Essentially, it refers to internalizing the cause of the public good.
Significance of dedication to public service:
• The very purpose of civil services is to serve the people and to contribute the society which
would get defeated in case there is no dedication to public service.
 • It can help in overcoming adverse situations, especially when there is a shortage of
resources( Armstrong Pame of Manipur).
• Civil servants enjoy wide discretionary powers which may be used for personal gains without
dedication to public service.
• Public service requires unending zeal and energy and without this value, a civil servant would
eventually run out of motivation.
• The job of a civil servant is a 24/7 job and dedication can come only when one is dedicated to
the cause of public service.
Imparting dedication to pubic service(11:18 AM):
• Recognition and reward for the best-performing officers to create inspiration for others.
• Organizing regular training sessions and exposure through field visits to sensitize the civil
servants towards the challenges faced by civil servants.
• "Volunteer-Sunday" type of activities could be organized to address specific grievances faced
by the citizens.
• Inspiring civil servants through stories and examples of exemplary civil servants from the past.
• We may adopt performance-linked appraisals as done in the private sector.
• We may consider setting objective targets to assess the performance of civil servants.
• For example- the adoption of KPI( Key Performance Indicators) and KRA(Key Result Areas)
approaches.
Impartiality and Non-partisanship (11:35 AM):
• Impartiality refers to the act of not supporting one person or group over others.
• AN impartial civil servant will give a fair chance to all sides without allowing his personal
biases to creep into his actions.
• Even though impartiality and non-partisanship are used interchangeably with each other, non-
partisanship has a special meaning that connotes apolitical behavior by civil servants.
• A civil servant is expected to remain politically neutral and implement the policies irrespective
of who is in power.
• In Mahabharata, Bheeshma on his deathbed told Yudhisthir that the most important duty of
the king is to be impartial towards his subjects.
• If the king does not treat his subjects as his children, they would lose faith in the king and the
state.
Significance of Impartiality and Non-partisanship for civil servants:
• It is crucial in maintaining the trust of the citizens in government institutions.
• A number of problems such as Naxalism have emerged precisely due to the breakdown of
faith in the government system.
• Only when a civil servant is non-partisan, can he or she show courage to suggest policy
alternatives to the political executives.
• Transformation in society cannot be introduced with a biased mind.
• India is a diverse society with varying interests and so civil servants are expected to be
neutral while implementing the policies.
• In a democracy, the most important decisions should be taken by the elected representatives
of the people and the civil servant should only be the tool to execute those decisions.
• Therefore, they should be as unbiased as possible.
Inculcating partiality and non-partisanship:
• Setting up a Civil Services Board for deciding appointments and transfers as directed by the
Supreme Court in TSR Subramaniam v/s Union of India 2011.
• The Second ARC gave a similar suggestion in the form of setting up a civil services authority.
• 2nd ARC recommends objectively defining the relationship between the civil servants and the
ministers to minimize day-to-day interference.
• Providing a minimum tenure for postings and appointments.
 • A mandatory cooling-off period is to be provided for civil servants before taking private
sector jobs or political appointments after quitting civil services.
• Setting up a comprehensive code of conduct and laying down strict guidelines to regulate the
acceptance of gifts from individuals and organizations.
• A strong emphasis should be laid on inculcating values by training young civil servants under
the guidance of retired civil servants of repute.
Tolerance:
• It is giving respect to the views and opinions of others even though they may be in conflict
with one's own views.
• It is a very important value to have in a multicultural society such as India for living together
with peace and harmony with one another despite dissenting viewpoints.
The topics for the next class are the continuation of tolerance, honesty, probity in governance,
code of conduct, etc.
Ethics_JG Class 03
A Brief Overview Of The Previous Class - (01:13 PM)
Significance of Tolerance for the civil servants - (01:18 PM)
• To protect the Multi-religious, Multilingual, and Multiethnic character of Indian society,
Tolerance is a really crucial value.
• Freedom of speech and expression which is the cornerstone of any democracy and crucial
for driving growth and innovation in society can be protected only if the value of tolerance is
given importance.
• Indian society is witnessing more conflicts with every passing day but historical experiences
teach us that a long-lasting solution to any problem can be achieved only through
discussions and deliberations and a consensus-based approach, for which tolerance is
indispensable.
• A public official should be secular in their outlook to ensure this value of tolerance is non-
negotiable.
• All Indian civil services officers need to serve culturally different sections of society and for this
tolerance is very crucial.
• For example- A civil servant hailing from Punjab may find it difficult to serve the people of
Nagaland if he does not have an attitude of tolerance.
Ways to Inculcate Tolerance in Civil Services- (01:26 PM)
• Civil servants trainees should undergo more activities like Bharat Darshan.
• Cultural events, celebrating the diversity of India can help young civil servants realize the
importance of tolerance.
• Encouraging a culture of debate, discussions, and deliberations, during the training for
the civil servant so that they understand the value of dissent and discussions.
• Organizing team spot events between the members of different services is also a way to
inculcate tolerance.
• For example - inter-services and sports meet can organize so that they can learn the
importance of teamwork.
• Regularly organizing the filled visits and encouraging interactions with people from
different communities.
Value of Honesty and Integrity - (01:31 PM)
(Explanation)
• Integrity -
• It comes from the word integer, which means whole or full.
• It means wholesomeness or fullness of value
• It means steadfast adherence to values and principles when an individual decides to stick with
the principles and values he owns.
 • It is the mother of all values because a person of integrity includes within him all values.
• Integrity is for oneself.
• Honesty -
• It means truthfulness.
• Being honest does not necessarily mean you would be a person of integrity.
• Honesty is synonymous with the word truthfulness which means not lying and accepting what
and who you are.
• For example - Robinhood is robbing the rich and distributing it to the poor.
• An honest person may have different sets of behavior at different times and situations.
• Honesty is for the world.
Dictation (02:03 PM)
• Honesty and integrity are often considered synonymous with each other but there is a
significant difference between the two.
• Honesty refers to the quality of being truthful and sincere in one's conduct.
• It is an external concept and does not guarantee the highest standards of behavior.
• On the other hand, integrity is the mother of all values and refers to steadfast adherence
to values and principles irrespective of place and circumstances.
• It means following the highest standards of behavior and consistency in one's actions,
thoughts, and behavior, irrespective of time circumstances, and place.
Integrity has the following aspects- (02:08 PM)
• 1) Choosing the right conduct.
• 2) Acting consistently with the choice made even when it is inconvenient to do so.
• 3) Openly declaring one's stance.
• For example -
• Gandhiji withdrew from the Non-cooperation movement after the Chori-Chaura incident,
even though the movement was at its peak because he believed in the value of Non- Violence
and was not ready to compromise irrespective of the stakes involved.
• Another example could be a person not jumping a traffic signal at night irrespective of the
presence or the absence of traffic police.
• 4) Integrity implies adherence to several values including honesty.
• Therefore, one can say that honesty is necessary though not a sufficient criterion for integrity.
• To be a person of integrity one has to be honest but being honest does not make an individual
a person of integrity.
• For example-
• Accepting that one has taken a bribe would be called an honest act. Whereas a person of
integrity would not even think of taking a bribe.
Importance/significance of integrity for the civil services- (02:16 PM)
• Civil servants possess wide discretionary powers and in the absence of integrity, they may
exercise these powers for personal gains and political purposes.
• It can go a long way in building the trust of the citizens towards the civil services and the
government.
• Without integrity, corruption would thrive in society and other values would also get
compromised during or in challenging circumstances.
• Civil servants are role models for society and therefore it is expected that they would show
staunch adherence to values and principles.
• India is affected due to the limited availability of resources and integrity can ensure the
efficient utilization of these resources.
Ways to inculcate integrity in the civil services or the civil servants- (02:23 PM)
• Assigning mentors to young civil servants at the early stages of their careers, so that they
can learn how to react in adverse situations.
 • Exemplary punishments for corrupt civil servants and appropriate reward mechanisms for
those showing/exemplifying conduct with integrity.
• Inculcation of values and ethics in society at an early age with the help of the school and
the family.
• Laying down a comprehensive code of conduct and code of ethics for civil servants.
• Inculcation/ inclusion of a value-based training curriculum as a part of career-long civil
services training.
Nolan committee - (02:28 PM)
• Committee on standards in public life - 1994 in the UK.
• It provided 7 values/ principles of public life -
• 1) Selflessness -
• Holders of public office should take decisions only on the basis of public interest.
• None of their decisions should be for gaining benefits for themselves, their families, or
their friends.
• It does not mean, that a person should allow personal deprivation while carrying out
public service.
• A public servant should know to balance his personal and professional life and yet work
towards the betterment of society.
• 2) Accountability-
• It is ownership of the outcomes of one's actions.
• Civil servants should be ready to answer questions regarding their actions and decisions.
• They must be ready to submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate for their
office.
• It does not mean only being answerable for one's actions but also includes the components
of scrutiny and punishment in case of violation of public trust.
• For example-
• In 2006 Andhra Pradesh government introduced a management information system for
tracking the implementation of MGNREGA.
• Information is fed into the system at every step, making monitoring possible through
various reports and analyses generated by the system.
• Some of these reports allow comparison and tracking of the progress of works,
undertaken act the various lens.
3) Openness/Transparency - (02:46 PM)
• Holders of public office should have the basis of all of their actions and the outcomes of
these actions public in nature.
• They should hide information from the citizens only when the larger public interest
requires them to do so.
• They should restrict access to information only when the law requires them to do so.
• Civil servants should be open to sharing the outcomes of their decisions and actions with
the public.
4) Leadership - (03:15 PM)
• It means leading from the front.
• It is motivating people to realize them to achieve their true calling.
• A leader supposes to inspire individuals.
• He needs to create an environment where a team is intrinsically motivated to achieve the
goal.
• Holders of public office should be ready to lead by example and guide the team in achieving
common objectives.
• A leader is someone who inspires others through his/ her behavior and actions to become a
better version of themselves.
 • A leader acts as a friend and a guide to team members in adverse and difficult circumstances
and is always focused on getting the best out of every member of the team.
• For example- Gandhiji and Nelson Mandela.
• 5) Objectivity.
• 6) Honesty.
• 7) Integrity.
• SAHIL (acronym) - 7 principles of public value highlighted by Nolan Committee.
Ethical dilemma in the civil services - (03:24 PM)
• It is a situation in which a choice has to be made between two morally valid options and it
is difficult for the decision-makers to choose one's path.
• Civil servants often faced ethical dilemmas during the course of their work and in such
situations societal and personal guidelines may not provide a satisfactory outcome.
• Some of the situations in which ethical dilemmas may arise between civil servants are
as follows-
• 1) Situations in which compliance with ethical conduct may come at a significant personal
cost.
• 2)Situations where two or more sets of values are in direct conflict with each other.
• For example-
• The whistle-blower's dilemma - A person who has come to know of wrongdoings in a
defense deal but is apprehensive about sharing the details publicly as it may compromise
national security.
• Similarly, civil servants may be in dilemma to keep some information secret which may
cause significant embarrassment to the government.
• 3) Conflicts between the direction of the senior officials and what the person thinks is the right
thing to do.
• For example-
• A police officer, who believes in the value of non-violence has been asked by his supervisor
or senior to use force against an angry mob.
• 4) When an individual value and an organization's obligation clash with each other.
• For example-
• If the environmental guideline provides that the industry should set up a waste treatment plant
but the exorbitant cost associated with such a setup would result in creating financial
difficulties for the industry and may even result in the laying off of a large number of
employees.
• 5) When one's personal values clash with one's professional values.
• For example-
• A lawyer who comes to know of a heinous crime committed by his client vs his personal value
of not promoting crime and criminals.
The steps to resolve the ethical dilemma- (03:50 PM)
• 1) Identification of the options available in a situation.
• 2) Analyzing the consequences of choosing one action over the other.
• A person should consider the number of positive and negative consequences associated with
the options-
• a) Who would get benefitted from choosing that course of action?
• b) Who would be adversely affected by choosing that course of action?
• c) What are the long-term and short-term effects of the decisions taken?
• d) What is the scale of the harms and the benefits associated with various options?
• e) After considering all the options which option would present the best combination of
maximization of benefits and minimization of harms?
 • 3) Analysing the actions on the basis of certain moral principles, such as honesty,
integrity, morality, equality, transparency, fairness, selflessness, accountability, etc.
• 4) Analysing if any of the actions may be violating any ethical principles.
• 5) Rank these ethical principles according to their importance.
• 6) Taking the final action or the decision on the basis of the above analysis.
• 7) Evaluation of the situation or the root causes which led to the ethical dilemma and
address the same, so that no such situation emerges in the future.
Tools that may aid the resolution of ethical dilemmas- (04:05 PM)
• 1) Gandhiji's Talisman, so that The interest of the poor and the marginalized should be given
priority over anything else.
• 2) Following/adhering to constitutional principles/ values.
• 3) Keeping one's personal values aside and following the code of ethics for one's profession.
• 4) Following the principle of maximum good for the maximum people especially
maximum good for the weakest. (utilitarian Approach).
• 5) Following one's duty irrespective of the consequences.
• 6) Applying Gandhiji's seven sins approach or following the 8-fold path of Buddhism etc.
The topic to be discussed in the next class will be - ethical governance, code of ethics, and
code of conduct.
Ethics_JG Class 04
Ethical Governance(1:06PM)
• Ethical Governance refers to governance that is carried out with ethical concerns in mind.
• It is a step ahead of good governance as a concept given by the World Bank.
• It seeks to realize certain universally desirable values and not merely values of administrative
efficiency.
• Therefore ethical governance is concerned with efficiency as well as universal human values.
• Elements of Ethical Governance-
• Fairness
• Compassion
• Integrity
• Selflessness
• Dedication to public service
• Rule of law
• Transparency
• Decentralisation
• Corruption-free public service
• Significance of Ethical Governance-
• It plays a pivotal role in protecting the interests of the weak and marginalized people.
• Corruption, Nepotism, and favoritism have become commonplace in present-day governance
which can be overcome with ethical governance.
• Ethical government ensures that governance- is citizen-centric where the citizen is at the
center of all the efforts made by the government.
• It can play a crucial role in bridging the trust deficit between the citizens and the government.
• In the age and era of globalization, ethical governance is the only way of achieving or meeting
the expectation of the citizens.
• Challenges of Ethical Governance-
• Political hurdles-
• Excessive political interference in the governance process where the emphasis is on populist
consideration and not the elements of ethical governance.
• Even civil servants are more concerned with impressing their political bosses rather than what
the citizen needs.
 • Politician often expects civil servants to perform unethical tasks which compromise ethical
governance.
• Favoritism and nepotism have become common practices in Indian administration
compromising the neutrality of the civil service.
• Institutional hurdles-
• The concept of career civil services compromises dedication to public service resulting in
complacency among civil servants.
• Civil servants enjoy wide discretionary powers which often come without checks and
balances.
• In such situations, civil servants often exercise this power for personal gains rather than public
interests.
• Bertrand and Russel in their book -The power stated that it is innate human nature to try to
achieve and exercise power, especially over others.
• In such a scenario, civil servants are often focused on preserving their power and finding
ways to perpetuate it further rather than focusing on ethical concerns of governance including
public interests.
• Operational hurdles-
• In a bureaucracy, secrecy is the norm and transparency an exceptional which results in the
lack of accountability and therefore breeds corruption.
• Complex procedures that have been designed to avoid errors in decision-making often result
in excessive delays in decision making leading to loss of time and opportunity.
• In turn, it results in cost and time overrun.
• Civil servant often tends to develop a lack of empathy and compassion due to the hierarchical
nature of bureaucracy that creates distance between them and the citizens.
• As a result, they lose sight of reality and get drifted from their main goal of serving the people.
• Societal hurdles-
• Dwindling morals and values in society have made civil servants focus more on greed and
accumulating material resources rather than the cause of public service.
• Often civil servants are tempted to use their powers for selfish gains resulting in unethical
governance.
• Further lack of any external checks and balances disincentivizes them to focus on ethical
behavior.
Probity in Governance(2:59PM)
• It is the quality of having strong moral values such as honesty and integrity in the governance
process.
• Probity as a term is used in the context of the institution in the same way integrity is used in
the context of individuals.
• In other words -Probity means the absence of corruption in public life and other ways of
showing probity include effective implementation of laws, rules, and regulations.
• Ways to inculcate probity in governace-
• Adherence to principles enshrined in the constitution and code of conduct and code of ethics.
• Ensuring accountability to citizens through the effective implementation of social audit
mechanisms.
• Integration of Information technology in public service delivery mechanisms and innovative
use of modern means such as social media to keep the public informed about the activities of
the government.
• Effective implementation of the citizen-charter and public service delivery standards through
the Public Service Guarantee Act.
• Effective implementation of the RTI and suo-motu disclosure of information by the government
departments.
 • Setting up and empowering institutions such as CVC, CIC, Lokpal, etc to investigate and
punish those who misuse or abuse powers.
• Reforming and strengthening the criminal justice system to ensure the effective functioning of
the courts and the police.
• Reforms in anti-corruption laws to provide exemplary punishment in case of abuse of powers
and position.
• Enacting a simple yet effective code of ethics and code of conduct for civil servants.
Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics(3:30 PM)
• Code of Conduct refers to a specific set of guidelines provided to members of an organization
with respect to how they should conduct themselves in certain specific situations.
• Therefore one can say that the Code of Conduct defines the do's and don'ts for civil servants,
• For example, the All-India Civil Service Conduct Rule 1968 laid down that every member
should maintain the highest ethical standards and political neutrality.
• It includes- promote principles of merit and fairness, accountability and transparency,
responsiveness to the public and courtesy, and good behavior with the public.
• At the same time, it provides specific do's and doesn't in certain situations-
• For example, civil servants are not supposed to be involved in criticism of the government in
any form.
• They are not supposed to take part in public demonstrations without the prior permission of
the government.
• They are supposed to remain sober and not appear in public spaces in a state of intoxication
and use drinks and drugs to excess.
• They are also supposed to observe strict the existing policy regarding crime against women
and observed two children family norms.
• An officer should not enter into marriage with a person having a spouse living or a member
having a spouse living shall not enter into marriage with other people.
• They are expected to manage their private affairs in such a manner as to avoid insolvency.
• No member should abate giving or taking or give or take dowry.
• Members should not engage directly or indirectly in any trade or business or any other
employment or participate in making sponsored media or any such programs.
• Civil servants may accept from near relatives or friends having no official dealings with their
gifts on certain celebrity occasions but make a report to the government if they give exceeds
25000 rupees.
• In other cases, civil servants cannit accept without permission of the government if the value
exceeds 5000 rupees.
• Code of Ethics(3:54PM)
• Code of Ethics is a loose set of principles that should be guiding one behavior
• In other words, it is a general set of values and principles that should be adhered to by the
members of the organization.
• They do not have any legal backing but rather a moral force behind them.
• For example, a Code of Ethics may prescribe that civil servants should follow the principle of
accountability and transparency in the functioning of their office but it does not have any legal
application in case one does not do so.
• Difference between Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct-
• Both the Code of Conduct and the Code of Ethics attempt to enrich the professional qualities
of the organization.
• But there are considerable differences between the two-
• Code of Conduct is specific in nature and the Code of Ethics is more generic in nature.
• Code of Conduct is enforceable by the department and minor punishments may be imposed
for not following the same whereas the code of ethics only has a moral sanction behind them.
 • A Code of Conduct is explicit in nature whereas a code of ethics is usually implicit in nature.
• It means that the Code of Ethics does not imply specific actions but gives general guidance.
• Code of Conduct focuses on compliance with rules and regulations
• Whereas the Code of Ethics focuses on compliance with values and principles.
• Temporally a Code of Conduct can only guide behavior over a short period of time whereas
imbibing a Code of Ethics can ensure long-term sustainable changes in the behavior of civil
servants.
The topic of the next class- is a continuation of the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct,
Corruption.
Ethics_JG Class 05
Revision of the previous class(9:07 AM):
• A Code of Conduct (COC) refers to a specific set of guidelines provided to members of an
organization as to how they should conduct themselves in certain specific situations.
• Therefore, the code of conduct defines the dos and don’ts for civil servants.
• A Code of Ethics(COE) refers to a broad set of values and principles that should be adhered
to by members of an organization.
• They do not have any legal backing, but rather a moral force behind them.
Significance of the Code of Conduct & Code Of Ethics (9:11 AM):
• Civil services are often accused of having a poor work culture which can be addressed by
diligently following a code of ethics.
• COE mandates the principles such as accountability, transparency, selflessness, etc in the
conduct of the civil services which can go a long way in addressing the trust deficit between
the citizens and the civil services.
• Organizations can survive and sustain ethical behaviour only if accountability is more internal
than external.
• A code of ethics can help in achieving internal accountability.
• Civil servants are entrusted with the resources of the community and following these codes
would ensure that the resources are used effectively for the public interest alone.
• A well-laid-out code of conduct and code of ethics would attract only the best talent and those
candidates who are ready to adhere to such values and principles.
• As a result, it can help in addressing the problem of expectations mismatch and high attrition
in government organizations.
• Civil servants often face ethical dilemmas in the exercise of their function and without such
codes, the behaviour of the civil servants would be determined by individual morals resulting
in inconsistency and lack of uniformity in the actions,
• A COC & a COE may help civil servants in navigating such dilemmas.
• Civil servants enjoy wide discretionary powers and follow a COC and COE can ensure the
use of these powers in the public interest.
Limitations of Code of Conduct & Code of Ethics(9:47 AM):
• Enforcement of the code of conduct depends upon departmental discretion whereas the code
of ethics has no legal enforceability at all.
• COE is too vague and subjective and therefore its enforcement and interpretation are
individual-centric.
• it is also said that the erosion of moral values has happened to such an extent in the public
services that the COC and COE would have a negligible impact on probity in governance.
• There are no incentives for civil servants to follow the COE or COC.
• COE does not define which principles would apply in which circumstances, and on the other
hand, COC itself has limited applications in certain circumstances.
• It s very difficult to adhere to these codes in the present circumstances when excessive
political interference in administrative matters is a routine practice.
Second ARC on Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct:
• The second ARC has proposed the enactment of a Public Service Code in the form of a
Public Service Bill 2007.
• A similar concept has been included in the laws of other countries such as Australia, Poland,
Canada, etc.
• This code can be divided into three levels -
Level I.
• A clear statement of values that civil servants should observe.
• Some of these values include:
• Patriotism and upholding national pride.
• Allegiance to the Constitution and the law of the nation.
• Objectivity, Impartiality, Honesty, Diligence, Courtesy, and Transparency.
• To maintain absolute integrity.
• These values may be revised from time to time upon consideration of the Central Public
Service Authority(CPSA) to be constituted under Section 19 of this law.
Level II:
• It should have a broad set of principles that should govern the behaviour of civil servants.
• Some of these principles would include:
• Every public service employee shall:
• I. Discharge official duty with competence, accountability, diligence, responsibility, honesty,
and impartiality.
• II. Have the opportunity for professional growth and leadership development.
• III. Avoid the misuse of official positions and information and use public money with utmost
care.
• IV. Serve as an instrument of good governance and promote socio-economic development
with due regard for the diversity of the nation, but without discrimination on the grounds of
caste, community, religion, etc.
• The government in consultation with the CPSA shall prepare a code of ethics according to the
principles highlighted above.
• Any breach of this code should be dealt with in form of sanctions or disciplinary actions by the
concerned disciplinary authority.
Level III( 10:17 AM):
• It should have a specific code of conduct providing a list of acceptable and unacceptable
behaviour.
• The Public Service Management Code must be formed on the following principles:
• I. To establish public services as a professional merit-based institution for promoting good
governance.
• II. Mechanisms and incentives to maintain high levels of productivity, efficiency, and
excellence.
• III. Policies to promote sustainability of public services, keeping in view, the finances of the
government.
• IV. Determination of interface between the political executive and the public services based on
the principles of neutrality and integrity.
• V. Accountability of decision-making by the civil servants.
• Note:
◦ The features written above are not
supposed to be rot learned.
◦ Students must remember the broad
ideas so that they can be used in
different types of questions of
accountability of public servants.
Question- Even though there is a need to bring a code of ethics to guide the actions, the same
should be applied to the ministers as well. In this context, highlight some of the important principles
that should guide the code of ethics for the ministers( 150 words/10 marks).
Code of Ethics for Ministers:
• Even though India has a code f conduct for the ministers, it is not comprehensive and only
includes a list of prohibitions.
• The 2nd ARC suggests that there should be a code of ethics for the ministers so that they can
uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct in the performance of their duties.
• Some of the principles are described below:
• Ministers must uphold the principles of collective responsibility, enshrined in the Article 75 of
the constitution.
• ministers must ensure that no conflict arises or appears to arise between their public duties
and private interests.
• Ministers must uphold the political impartiality f the civil servants and not ask the civil servants
to act in such a way that would clash with their duties.
• Ministers must comply with the requirements laid down by the parliament from time to time.
They must ensure that public money is used for public purposes and with utmost care and
economy.
• Ministers must not use government resources for a political party or political purposes.
• They must act objectively, impartially, and in a fair and just manner.
• They must function in a manner to serve as instruments of good governance.
• Note:
◦ The code of ethics for the judiciary
must be covered through the 2nd
ARC report.
Steps to enhance the Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics (10:58 AM):
• As far as the code of ethics is concerned, government organizations may learn from private
organizations as many of them have effectively implemented the code of ethics and have
created an environment in which the employees identify themselves with the core values and
principles of an organization.
• The 2nd ARC has recommended that the code of ethics and code of conduct should be
designed and enforced only after consultation with relevant stakeholders including citizens,
civil society organizations, media professionals, etc.
• The government departments must maintain a list of violations of the code of conduct and
code of ethics by the civil servants and the same should be reflected in the service records of
the civil servants.
• Public service values should be inculcated in young civil servants at the early stages of their
careers to make the code of conduct and the code of ethics effective through various training
modules.
• We may also consider the introduction of incentives mechanisms to ensure adherence to
these values
 • A code of conduct and code of ethics should be accompanied by the adoption of
commensurate service delivery standards, strong accountability, and transparency
mechanisms.
Corruption (11:17 AM):
• As per the World Bank, corruption refers to the abuse of public funds and/or public office for
private gains.
• Usually, corruption is associated with the act of giving or taking bribes, but there is a need to
enhance and provide a broader definition of corruption.
• According to the Prevention of Corruption Act( POCA) 1988, no specific definition has been
provided for corruption.
• However, sections 7-15 of this act relating to the offence of bribery and associated penalties.
• Some of the activities covered are:
• I. Acceptance of illegal gratification as a motive for doing or not doing an official act.
• II. Favoring or disfavoring a person.
• III. Obtaining a valuable thing without consideration.
• IV. Obtaining any monetary advantage for any person without any public interest.
• V. Having property or resources disproportionate to income.
• According to this law, the focus is on gratification and other pecuniary advantages.
• However, a range of activities that are detrimental to the public interest are not covered under
this law.
• Therefore, there is a need to expand the definition of corruption to include acts such as:
• I. Gross perversion of democratic principles and constitutional principles including wilful
violation of oath.
• II. Unduly favouring or harming someone without any consideration or gratification.
• In such cases, nepotism and personal prejudices play a role even though no corruption is
involved in a legal sense.
• Obstruction of justice by unduly influencing law enforcement agencies and prosecution.
• Wasting public money by spending exorbitantly to maintain a luxurious official lifestyle.
Types of corruption(11:37 AM):
There are two parties in an act of corruption: the bribe giver and the bribe taker.
Coercive corruption:
• The victim is forced to involve himself in a corrupt act to avail government service to which he/
she is entitled.
• The bribe giver is a victim of extortion because if he does not submit to the demands of the
public servant, he would end up losing much more than the bribe.
• Coercive corruption exploits the downtrodden and disadvantaged community.
• Though it is mainly of a smaller magnitude, it is an act of atrocity because here bribe giver is a
victim of extortion.
• A citizen is sucked into a vicious cycle of corruption to avoid harassment, delay, loss of
opportunity, or loss of work due to non-compliance with the demand of the bribe.
• The money given is referred to as speed money.
• A large part of it can be attributed to a lack of vigilance in public offices, an absence of fear of
the law, and a lack of legal awareness among the citizens.
• Additionally, it occurs due to the supply and demand of government services and excessive
discretion that has been placed in the hands of civil servants.
Collusive corruption:
• In this type of corruption, the bribe giver and bribe taker both cheat society.
• The bribe giver here is as guilty, or perhaps more guilty than the bribe taker.
• It is also called top-down corruption and usually occurs at the higher levels of the
government.
 • This type of corruption is usually big-ticket corruption.
• Some scholars believe that this type of corruption is a by-product of the private sector in the
economy as private players try to out-grow each other at the cost of the public.
Some examples of collusive corruption(12:00 PM):
• Execution of substandard works by government contractors.
• Distortion of competition on the market.
• Commissions( kickbacks) for public procurement.
• Direct harm to the public through making spurious drugs, products, services, etc.
• Violation of safety and maintenance norms.
Whether Collusive or Coercive corruption is more harmful?
• The POCA lays down that acceptance of illegal gratification is an offence.
• Even though bribe-giving is not defined as a separate offence, the bribe-giver is guilty of the
offence of abetment.
• However, the law protects the bribe-giver from prosecution if he makes a statement accepting
that he offered a bribe.
• As a result, the rate of conviction in cases of coercive corruption is more than in collusive
corruption.
• Also, the traps set by anti-corruption bodies are effective in such cases, but the same is not
true for collusive corruption as both the bribe giver and the taker are gaining from the
transaction.
• Therefore, collusive corruption is more difficult to expose, but at the same time, coercive
corruption is difficult to monitor considering the huge size of the government machinery.
• The amount of money and resources involved in collusive corruption is huge and therefore
implies a greater loss to the tax-payer.
• At the same time, coercive corruption affects the citizens directly and the lower strata of
society the most.
• It is difficult to tackle as it becomes a way of life and gradually people develop a tolerance
towards the same, making it a part of the system.
• Collusive corruption affects the public expenditure on various expenditures on various welfare
programs and erodes the trust of citizens in democratic institutions.
• Coercive corruption also does the same and additionally demotivates the citizen to approach
the government to avail of the services.
The topics for the next class are the effects of corruption, work culture, etc.
Ethics_JG Class 06
Revision of the previous class (9:11 AM):
• A brief overview of coercive and collusive corruption.
Effects of corruption (9:13 AM):
• Economic effects:
• As per a study conducted by Mckenzie, most of the money generated by corrupt acts in South
Asia is smuggled out to safe havens, as a result, tax collection suffers.
• It discourages foreign investments as foreign investors do not want to invest money in those
economies where corruption thrives and the ease of doing business is low.
• Crony capitalism distorts the level playing field and adversely affects small businesses and
as a result, discourages innovation and entrepreneurship.
Political effects:
• It promotes the criminalization of politics as money becomes the most important factor in
deciding the electoral result.
• Not only that, it further encourages corruption as politicians try to earn the money back that
they have spent during the electoral campaign.
 • As per the report of ADR, criminals with illegally earned money are preferred over candidates
with a clean record.
• It leads to the erosion of faith and trust in the institutions of democracy and therefore weakens
the institutions from within.
• Ethics answer writing( 9:30 AM):
◦ Just like most things, answer-writing
proficiency and stamina come only
with practice.
◦ Writing standalone answers is useful,
but it is not a substitute for writing full-
length answers.
◦ While writing answers, word & time
limits are as important as the wording
of the question, and we must avoid
writing too long answers if we wish to
complete the paper.
Societal effects:
• Corruption becomes a way of life and normalizes unethical conduct in society, therefore
establishing a vicious cycle of corruption and unethical behavior.
• It has a detrimental effect on social capital as people become more and more distrustful of
each other.
Ways to tackle corruption(9:50 AM):
• Legal measures:
• Section 7 of the prevention of corruption act should be amended to include the offense of
collusive bribery.
• Collusive bribery may be defined as a transaction in which the outcome of a transaction leads
to a loss to the public or the state.
• The definition of bribery and corrupt activities should be expanded to include acts such as :
• I. Obstruction of justice.
• II. Wasting public money.
• III. Gross violation of constitutional provisions.
• IV. Abuse of power for unduly favoring.
• Prosecution of those who have been found red-handed or possessing assets disproportionate
to the known sources of income, etc.
• The sanctioning authority should not be summoned to the courts to prevent unnecessary
delays in prosecution.
• In addition to the penalties, the public official who has caused loss to the states shall be
made liable.
• In order to ensure speedy trial of corruption cases, all the cases should be tried by a particular
judge and the proceedings of the court should be held on a day-to-day basis.
• We may also consider amending the provisions of CrPc to limit the time of trial in corruption
cases.
• Changes should be made to the whistle-blower protection act to protect the confidentiality and
anonymity of whistleblowers.
• Section 8 of RPA 1951 may be amended to disqualify those individuals who have been
charge-sheeted (now it is only after conviction which might take much time) in certain heinous
crimes.
• Section 8 of RPA 1951:
◦ Section 8(3)of the Representation of
the People Act, 1951, provides that a
person who is convicted of any
offense other than offenses provided
in Sections 8(1)and (2) of the Act and
is sentenced to jail for more than 2
years, shall undergo a ban from
contesting elections for 6 years after
his release along with his period of the
sentence.
Institutional measures:
• At present the Lokpal is dysfunctional and there is a need to revive its functioning so as to
make it consistent with the commitments made at the UN Convention Against Corruption
2003.
• An Ombudsman must be created for a group of districts to investigate cases against local
body functionaries.
• There is a need to change the provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE)
Act to provide more autonomy to the CBI director and to free the institution from the control of
the central government.
• A reasonable time limit should be fixed for the investigative agencies to carry out
investigations in corruption cases.
• The prosecution of corruption cases should be done by a panel of lawyers to be chosen by an
attorney General after consulting the ombudsman.
Social Measures (10:25 AM):
• School awareness programs should be introduced highlighting the importance of ethics and
how corruption may be combatted.
• Active involvement of civil society organizations to highlight the cases of corruption and to
keep a vigil on the government functionaries.
• For example- In the Jan Sunwai by Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, National Campaign for
Peoples' Right to Information(NCPRI) spreads awareness related to the RTI, etc.
• A mechanism should be involved to screen the allegations of corruption made by the media
so that appropriate action may be taken in such cases.
• Operational guidelines of all the schemes of the government should include a provision for
social audit like it has been done for MNREGA.
Systemic measures:
• Complete adoption of information technology in all government offices to implement the
concept of the paperless office.
• The department manuals should be revised thoroughly to reduce the discretionary powers in
the hands of civil servants.
• Government organizations that simplify and streamline their processes must be given suitable
rewards.
• The government should make it mandatory for the bidders of public projects to sign the
integrity pacts.
• Integrity pact:
◦ An integrity pact is signed
between the government and
all the bidders.
◦ All the bidders commit that
none of them will affect the
bidding process before or after
the process has been
completed.
◦ The bidders also agree that
their bid can be canceled if
wrongdoing is found on their
part.
◦ The enforcement of the pact
will be monitored by a neutral
third party.
• For example- ONGC signed an MOU with Transparency International and CVC in 2006.
• Public interaction in government offices should be limited to designated offices.
• The government should adopt a single-window clearance mechanism with a file-tracking
facility in all departments.
• risk profiling of all the jobs should be done in order to determine the positions that are
vulnerable to corrupt activities.
• Only officers with the impeccable record should be appointed to man these positions.
Work Culture (11:02 AM):
• Work culture refers to a collective set of values of an organization and its employees.
• It decides the manner in which the employees of an organization interact with each other as
well as their attitude toward their clients and other partner agencies.
• An organization possesses a strong work culture if the employees adhere to its rules and
regulations and more importantly the values and principles of the organization.
• For example- Google emphasizes a culture of innovation within their organization.
• Several experts believe that a strong and clear work culture helps provide a common frame of
reference for the activities of the organization.
• An organization's work culture is formed over a period of time and is often deeply influenced
by the founders of the organization.
• One may therefore say that the work culture of an organization reflects the philosophy and the
character of an organization.
Characteristics of healthy work culture:
• Work-life balance.
• Team spirit.
• Promotes healthy competition among peers.
• Employee-friendly policies.
• Culture of inclusivity.
• Democratic decision-making.
• The organization should be as flat (with less hierarchy)as possible.
• It should recognize and reward the best employees.
• Promote healthy employee-client relationships.
Characteristics of healthy work culture in civil services:
• It must promote responsiveness and compassion towards the citizens.
• Promoting self-esteem and pride in one's work.
 • Clear-cut allocation of work and division of tasks so that a proper accountability mechanism
can be enforced.
• A learner's attitude towards acquiring new schemes even though it may result in occasional
failures.
• The leadership should lead by example and should be willing to make changes in themselves
before they expect others to do so.
• The government organization should be adaptive to the latest technology.
• For example- a civil servant must be willing to learn about the use of data analytics for
predicting the outcomes of the policies.
• Simplification of rules and procedures, adoption of single-window clearance, and elimination
of discretion in the hands of the civil servants.
• For example- the passport services have been reformed completely by eliminating
unnecessary steps and procedures in the functioning of the organization.
Importance of healthy work culture in civil services (11:33 AM):
• It leads to better employee satisfaction and lesser attrition rates, as a healthy work culture
ensures consistency in thoughts and actions.
• It strengthens the spirit of teamwork and promotes trust in the workplace.
• It promotes transparency and greater accountability in the functioning of the organization.
• It ensures legal compliance and lowers regulatory risk.
• It creates a conducive working relationship between upper management and other levels of
the organization.
Challenges/Concerns associated with the work culture in government organizations:
• Over-emphasis on rules and regulations and procedures instead of focusing on problems
faced by the citizens.
• Emphasis on the culture of secrecy- the 2nd ARC mentions this as one of the biggest
problems in the functioning of civil services in India.
• The civil servants try to hide the reasoning behind the policy creating a trust deficit, nepotism,
and corruption leading to the loss of accountability.
• Lack of innovation or out-of-the-box thinking; Civil servants are often staus-quoists in nature,
and therefore resist reforms.
• As result, it becomes difficult to introduce path-breaking reforms in the government.
• Civil services suffer from an attitude of complacency because of time-bound promotions.
• Civil services are often too rigid in nature and at times unwilling to partner with civil society
organizations and public policy think tanks.
• Civil services are often input and output-driven rather than outcome-driven.
◦ Input-driven approach- X amount
has been allocated for education.
◦ Output-driven approach- Y
number of schools has been
created.
◦ Outcome-driven approach- The
actual improvement in learning
outcomes of children.
• At times, civil servants are accused of being insensitive toward the needs of the citizens.
• Poor reward mechanism to recognize outstanding contribution towards work.
Traits that the civil services can learn from the private sector(11:53 AM):
• Establishing better communication with the junior officials so as to remove grapevine in the
organization.
• Private organizations are structured in a fat manner which helps in establishing teamwork.
 • Government offices can also focus on dismantling hierarchies and promoting democratic
decision-making.
• Private sector organizations put a lot of emphasis on customer satisfaction and seek feedback
to continuously improve their services.
• Private organizations work on rewarding individual efforts and behavior.
• The board of directors does not interfere in the day-to-day functioning of the organizations.
• Public sector organizations may learn from this to keep undue political interference out of the
working of organizations.
• Private organizations have standard operating procedures and focus on the time-bound
execution of the projects.
• Private organizations have a grievance redressal mechanism against their officers.
The topics for the next class are public services service delivery, utilization of public funds,
corporate governance, international ethics, etc.
Ethics Class 07
The class started with a brief revision of the previous class(1:06 PM)
Suggestions to improve work culture in civil services(1:08 PM)
• The government may consider adopting an objective annual assessment system for civil
services.
• Some of the tools that may be useful include KPI, APAR, etc.
• Sensitizing the civil servants towards the problem of citizens by organizing regular interactions
with the citizens through tools such as field visits etc.
• Organizing a comprehensive mentorship program for training recruits under the guidance of
reputed civil servants.
• Inculcating a culture of transparency through the introduction of information technology in the
functioning of publorganizationsanisations
Public service delivery(1:13PM)
• It refers to the mechanism and process through which services are provided by the
government to the citizens which are in nature of welfare services.
• Public service delivery in the present time happens through two modes-
• 1. Directly through government machinery.
• 2. Indirectly through various agencies and partners who worked with the government.
• Some of the key services delivered by the government include health care, education, waste
management, law and order enforcement, infrastructure development, etc.
• Challenges to public service delivery in the health sector-
• Public health resources in India are under tremendous pressure to meet the needs of a large
population.
• According to the Human Development Report 2020, India has just 5 hospital beds per 10000
population.
• Only 12 countries in the world fair worse than India which includes Afghanistan, Uganda, etc.
• India has 9 doctors per 10000 population which is less than half the number in China.
• Despite the presence of the best doctors in public health institutions, the quality of service
delivery suffers.
• On the account of poor management and ill-trained support staff.
• Housekeeping and sanitation services are often ignored in public health institutions and the
equipment is either defective or absent.
• Reasons for problems in the public service in the health sector-
• Shortage of funds in public health institutions-India spends just over 2% of its GDP on public
health.
• Lack of ownership and accountability in public health institutions due to the presence of
multiple regulators with overlapping jurisdictions.
 • lack of awareness among the citizen concerning the rights and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
• Shortage of manpower not just in terms of doctors but also auxiliary functions.
• As a result, citizens end up migrating to private institutions for availing the health services.
• Coupled with poor insurance coverage, it ends up creating excessive pressure on the
finances of a large number of families.
• Thereby pushing them below the poverty line.
• Some successful examples of effective public service delivery
• The government of Andhra Pradesh entered into an innovative public-private partnership to
enhance access to dialysis care in the state.
• In this model, the private sector was given the responsibility of building multiple facilities from
scratch.
• It included the installation of equipment, hiring, and training of staff, and making the center
fully functional before transferring it to the government.
• This ended up making it a win-win situation for all the stakeholders including the patients.
• In Chanlang district in Arunachal Pradesh, the district administration successfully converged
various government schemes to upgrade the facilities available at the Anganwadi centers in
the district.
• The unutilized funds from the other schemes such as MGNERAGA, Pradhan Mantri Gram
Sadak Yojana, and the National health mission were utilized for this purpose.
• Principles that govern the public service delivery-
• Enforcing stricter accountability standards through the adoption of measures such as social
audit, citizen charter, and the Right to public service act.
• Adopting transparency measures to share information with citizens about public service
delivery.
• Adoption of technology and the business process re-engineering to simplify the service
delivery to citizens.
• Continous innovation in public service delivery mechanisms by incorporating feedback from
the citizens.
• Providing trained manpower to the local government establishments and implementation
agencies.
• Greater decentralization of public funds.
• Initiatives- taken to improve public service delivery(2:30 PM)
• NeGP 2.0
• Public service guarantee act.
• Indices released by Niti Aayog.
• Introduction of public financial management system.
• Out-sourcing of technical tasks to the private sector.
• Citizen-charter.
• Direct benefit transfer.
Utilisation of Public Funds(2:57PM)
• Often availability of public funds alone is considered an important fact in deciding the
performance of government schemes.
• But the effective and efficient utilization of public funds is an equally important factor for a
resource-starved country such as India.
• The government should ensure that public funds should be utilized only for public purposes.
• Principles that should govern the utilization of public funds-
• The money should be spent by the law.
• It should not be spent only for a public purpose and objective criteria should be evolved to
determine the priorities of the government.
• The decision-making should be transparent so that the citizens are informed about the
reasoning behind the utilization of public funds.
• Utilisation of public funds should be driven by outcomes rather than the inputs and outputs.
• Money spent should confirm accountability standards that the citizens should have powers to
hold public officials accountable concerning whether the funds have achieved their desired
objectives or not.
• Decentralized planning should be carried out so that the utilization of funds should be
demand-driven rather than supply-driven.
• Timely release of funds as per a pre-decided schedule.
• Cutting down the layers of bureaucracy and the number of approvals required for the
utilization of public funds.
• The government approach concerning the utilization of public funds should be utilitarian
• That is to maximize the good for the maximum number of people and egalitarianism at the
same time to ensure the well-being of the most marginalized.
• Challenges of the utilization of public funds-
• Misutilisation-
• Political parties often misused public funds on political advertisements which end up
promoting narrow political interests rather than the interests of the general public.
• Political parties often compete which each other to irrationally distribute freebies to citizens
which has negative repercussions on the economy in the longer run.
• The priorities of the government are also misplaced at times and it results in spending money
on unimportant activities.
• For example-Buliding statues to commemorate leaders from the past instead of improving the
public health infrastructure.
• Misappropriation-
• Public servants often misuse their offices for private gains.
• For example, it has been found out in the past that the MPs recommended that MPLAD funds
should be spent by agencies or entities owned indirectly by the MPs.
• Government projects are often affected by leakages created due to multiple layers of
implementation.
• As a result, only a small percentage of the money allocated reaches the targeted
beneficiaries.
• Red-tapism and policy paralysis lead to delays in the implementation of government projects
and therefore a significant cost to the exchequer or the public.
• According to the ministry of Statistics, as many as 425 infrastructures project of more than
100 crores each have been affected by cost overruns of more than 4.83 lakhs crore.
• Average time overrun in such projects was more than 42 months.
• Underutilization-
• This happens due to the creation of multiple layers between implementing agencies and fund-
releasing authority.
• It often results in what is termed as March Rush where administrative agencies try to spend
money indiscriminately so that it does not lapse at the end financial year.
• Underutilization can also be attributed to the delay in the flow of funds to implementation
agencies which limits their ability to spend the money at a specific point in time.
• Underutilization may also be attributed to a lack of capital expenditure by the state to improve
their capacity to improve the government project.
• Implications-
• Social implications-
• It leads to the violation of the rights and entitlements of citizens.
 • It has led to several social problems such as poor health infrastructure, an ineffective
education system, and diminished social capital.
• Economic implications-
• Despite having double-digit growth potential, India's economy has grown at an average of
5-7%.
• Inadequate improvement in public infrastructure such as roads, ports, etc has reduced the
competitive advantage of Indian business.
• Political implications-
• Misallocation and underutilization have led to unequal development in different parts of the
country which has created a threat to unity and integrity.
• Increased corruption and inequality between the states have led to unbalanced regional
growth.
The topic of the next class- is the continuation of the utilization of public funds and
Corporate Governance.
Ethics Class 08
A Brief Overview Of The Previous Class- (01:04 PM)
Suggestion to improve the utilization of funds/Way ahead with respect to utilization of
Public funds- (01:06 PM)
• 1) Introduction of technology to ensure greater transparency in the utilization of public funds.
• For example-
• The Public Finance Management System is a tool to allow real-time monitoring of the
utilization of public funds across the levels of the government.
• The introduction of technology to track the public distribution system in Chhattisgarh, paid
rich dividends in the form of cutting down leakages in government service delivery.
• 2) Awareness creation and capacity-building exercises should be carried out among the
citizens to ensure effective social audits of government schemes and programs.
• 3) We may consider the institutionalization of social audits as a part of the execution of all
government schemes.
• For example- MG NREGA.
• 4) Cutting down the layers of bureaucracy and streamlining the processes to ensure the
timely release of funds to the implementation agencies.
• 5) Ethical training of civil servants to ensure adherence to principles such as honesty, integrity,
accountability, etc.
Corporate Governance- (01:17 PM)
• In general, Corporate governance refers to a set of systems and processes that govern
the functioning of a corporate entity.
• But in a broader sense, corporate governance may be defined as -
• The application of best management practices, compliance with the law in true letter
and spirit, adherence to ethical standards for the distribution of wealth, and discharge
of social responsibility for the sustainable development of all the stakeholders.
• These stakeholders shall include -
• The customers.
• The employees.
• The community.
• The shareholders.
• The management.
• The investors.
Important principles/values of Corporate Governance- (01:26 PM)
• 1) Transparency -
 • A corporate entity should take all the necessary measures to keep all the stakeholders'
information about the functioning of the organization.
• 2) Accountability -
• It should adhere to the highest standards of accountability to ensure its commitment to the
stakeholders to conduct its business in an ethical manner.
• 3) Legality -
• It should comply with all the laws of the land and should not perform functions contrary to
them.
• 4) Independence -
• Good corporate governance requires independence on the part of the top management of the
corporation, that is the board of directors must be non-partition and should take all the
decisions based on business prudence.
• 5) Equity and Diversity -
• It should represent different sections of society and promote inclusivity through the
appointment of directors and employees from the weaker sections of society.
Benefits of Corporate Governance- (01:34 PM)
• 1) Good corporate governance ensures corporate success and economic growth.
• 2) It helps in the brand formation and establishing a strong reputation for a corporate
entity which automatically translates into higher profits.
• 3) Better prospects for investment -
• It maintains investor confidence as a result of which the company can raise capital efficiently
and effectively.
• For example -
• According to a study conducted by McKinsey, institutional investors were willing to pay an
average of 20% more for well-governed companies.
• 4) Improved work culture -
• Corporate governance can have a significant impact on work culture.
• It ensures greater trust among the employees and results in a positive work environment and
therefore higher employee retention rates.
• It means that a company can save costs associated with the recruitment and training of
employees.
• It provides a proper inducement to the owners as well as managers to achieve objectives that
are in the interest of shareholders and the organization.
• 5) It minimizes wastage, corruption, and mismanagement -
• In recent times several private entities have been involved in various scams, which have
affected the image of the nation.
• To make India an Investment destination in the future, adherence to the principles of
corporate governance is a must.
• Not only that, private sector/ corporate entities have been dropped in for the delivery of
essential public services, such as electricity distribution.
• Given the dependence of the citizens on the corporate sector, corporate governance has
assumed significant importance.
Challenges associated with corporate governance - (01:49 PM)
• 1) Most of the businesses in India were family-owned before the LPG reforms, but it has
been noticed that the excessive control of the families continued despite such companies
going public.
• Most companies, tend to comply with the directions of having a diverse board only on paper.
• It is common for the family and friends of promoters and management to be appointed as
board members.
• Solution-
 • We may adopt the ratings to rank the diversity of the boards and publish them for use by
investors and other stakeholders.
• 2) In India, founders, irrespective of their legal positions continue to exercise
significant influence over key business decisions of the companies and failed to realize
the importance of succession planning.
• Solution -
• It is in the best interest of the organization for the founders to chalk out a succession plan and
implement it effectively.
• 3) It has been often noticed, that corporate entities function in the interest of a few
powerful people, compromising the interest of other shareholders.
• For example-
• No alarm was raised by the board over the faulty management practices prevalent at IL&FS.
• Similarly, The head of ICICI bank approved a loan to videocon without following due diligence
measures as she had an indirect interest in Videocon.
• 4) Despite the presence of independent directors, the independent functioning of the
board has been compromised time and again.
• The independence of such promoters' appointed independent directors is questionable as
they are unlikely to stand up for minority interests against the prompter.
• Solution -
• We may consider limiting the powers of the promoters with respect to the appointment of
independent directors.
• Issue - There have been several instances of removal of independent directors if they did not
side with the promoter's decision.
• It happens because, under the law, an independent director can be easily removed by the
promoters and majority shareholders.
• Solution -
• SEBI's International Advisory Board proposed an increase in transparency with respect to
the appointment and removal of independent directors.
• We may also add an additional check which would require the approval of a majority of public
shareholders for the removal of independent directors.
• 5) Often companies offer exorbitant compensation to the senior executive even at the
cost of other stakeholders.
• Solution -
• Companies may consider framing remuneration policies that are transparent and require the
approval of shareholders.
• 6) Corporate entities are exposed to various types of risks in their functioning which
puts even retail investors at a lot of risk.
• Solution-
• A robust risk management policy must be evolved that should guide the functioning of a
corporate entity to minimize the risk.
• 7) Non-compliance with disclosure and accountability has also emerged as a major
challenge in corporate governance.
• Even though duties have been imposed on all the directors including independent directors
but the enforcement has been laid back.
• Several instances of rules and laws have gone unpunished in India.
• Not only that even the auditing processes have been compromised due to vested interest.
• Solution -
• To improve accountability the entire board must be present at the general meetings to give the
stakeholders an opportunity to interact with them and pose questions.
Question- (02:24 PM)
 • Several corporate entities have been involved in unethical activities, in this context
highlights the measures to be taken to ensure good corporate governance in India.
(150 words/10 marks).
Reforms/suggestions/ Way ahead - (02:26 PM)
• 1) Improvement in standards of financial disclosure especially those related to the funding of
political parties by corporate entities.
• 2) Companies must enact and follow strong whistle-blower protection norms to provide
anonymity to the whistle-blowers -
• We may follow in the footsteps of the USA and enact laws such as Sarbanes Oxley Act
2002, which provides auditing and financial regulations to be followed by corporate entities.
• 3) Employees, officers, and directors of the company must not use insider information for
trading purposes, and for this strong legal mechanisms must be enacted.
• 4) No employee should have an interest outside their employment that would affect their
attention or time towards their work.
• 5) Employees may be encouraged to take part in CSR activities as long as they do not
affect their performance or conflict with their official duties.
• 6) Strengthening the audit exercise by giving more teeth to the audit committees and
giving a bigger role to non-executive directors (Independent directors) in their functioning.
• 7) Corporate entities must make an honest attempt to provide better representation to the
marginalized in the functioning of such entities.
• Refer the expert committees like-
• Kotak Committee.
• Kumar Mangalam Committe.
• Narayan Murty Committee.
Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) - (02:53 PM)
• CSR or Corporate Social responsibility is also referred to as corporate citizenship and is a
process by which an organization thinks about and evolves its relationship with various
stakeholders for the common good and demonstrates its commitment in this respect by
adopting appropriate business processes and strategies.
• CSR is not charity or mere donation, but rather a way of conducting business by which
corporate entities contribute to the social good.
• A socially responsible company should not be limited to using resources to engage in
activities that only increase their profits, they must use CSR to integrate economic,
environmental, and social objectives with the company's operations and growth.
Components of Corporate Social Responsibility - (03:07 PM)
• 1) Business Ethics -
• Businesses should integrate core values, such as honesty, trust, respect, and fairness into
their policies, practices, and decision-making.
• It should also adhere to legal standards and rules and regulations.
• 2) Employee welfare -
• Good CSR practices should focus on improving the workplace in terms of health and safety,
as well as focus on a healthy balance between work and non-work life.
• CSR activities should also focus on the Diversity of the workforce and include people from
marginalized sections of society.
• A responsible company should prevent sexual harassment in the workplace and promote
respect for the diversity of cultures.
• 3) Influencing the supply chain-
• If anyone from the supply chain neglects social, environmental, and human rights concerns it
may reflect badly on a company.
 • Therefore, it must use its position to influence the entire supply chain to adopt ethical
business practices.
• 4) Environmental concerns-
• CSR also means that a company should go beyond mandatory requirements and deliver
environmental benefits.
• It would include finding sustainable solutions and reducing adverse impacts on the
environment.
• Such as the reduction of pollutants and emissions as well as producing environment-
friendly goods and services.
• 5) Community Empowerment-
• A socially responsible company must make a positive change in the lives of the local
community by executing various projects in partnership with the community.
Legal provisions related to CSR under the Companies Act 2013 - (3:22 PM)
• 1) Companies have a net worth of 500 crores or more (or)
• 2) Companies having an annual turnover of 1000 crores or more (or)
• 3) Companies having a net profit of 5 crores or more.
• According to the act,
• Companies must constitute a CSR committee of the board comprising 3 or more directors, out
of which at least 1 must be an independent director.
• The board should report the composition of the committee in its annual report.
• Any such company must spend at least 2% of its average annual profit of the last 3 years.
• Examples of activities permitted under CSR -
• 1) Promotion of Education.
• 2) Eradicating hunger and poverty.
• 3) Gender Equality and women empowerment.
• 4) Improvement in maternal health.
• 5) Ensuring environmental sustainability.
• 6) Livelihood development/skill development.
• 7) Contribution to PM National Relief Fund.
• 8) According to the company's Act, Companies must give preference to the local areas in
which they operate.
Concerns and challenges with CSR spending in India - (03:28 PM)
• 1) 85% of CSR spending is focused on specific sectors, such as -
• Health, education, and livelihood development, leaving little or no resources for the other
sectors.
• In Geographic terms as well, most of the CSR spending is focused on -
• Western and south India which creates a risk of lopsided and unequal development in the
country.
• 2) It has been often noticed that there exists no knowledge about CSR projects among
the local communities.
• As a result, programs are driven by the priorities of the corporate entities rather than the
community.
• 3) The companies are only focused on spending the CSR funds and not necessarily
achieving the desired objectives which defeat the entire purpose of CSR.
• The companies often end up channeling CSR funds to their own NGOs or foundations and as
a result, the larger objective of CSR activities is defeated.
Way Ahead - (03:38 PM)
• 1) There is a need to certify the NGO partners to ensure that the money allocated is spent in a
legitimate manner
 • 2) Companies may adopt a more robust approach to monitor the progress of CSR activities
including the adoption of technology.
• 3) The government may act as a medium to ensure constructive engagement between the
NGOs and corporate entities.
• For example -
• The Darpan Portal made by the Ministry of Education serves as a platform for
government-certified NGOs to connect with corporate entities.
• 4) Corporate entities must look beyond the conventional definition of CSR to only spend
funds and should venture into other aspects of Responsible Business Practices.
Ethics in International relations - (03:46 PM)
• Ethics in International Relations refers to the application of morality and ethical principles
in solving various ethical dilemmas, that a nation faces in the conduct of its international
relations.
• The basic issue that faces most nations is the reconciliation of national interest with
Ethical principles and values.
• Most countries claim their commitment to universal values and do their best to adhere to
them but on several occasions,
• They find it difficult to guide their actions as per the values they profess.
A three-dimensional approach to Ethics in International Relations- (03:55 PM)
• 1) Realism approach -
• It is the most common approach in International politics, Which assumes that IR should be
guided by national interest.
• In this approach morality and ethical principles are secondary considerations.
• For example-
• A nation crossing into the territory of another nation may be justified on the grounds of
preserving national interest and securing its territories against terrorists sponsored by other
nations.
• 2) Approach of Idealism -
• In this approach, ideals and morals such as Peace, human rights, and Global Justice should
drive a nation's foreign policy over and above its selfish national interest.
• For example-
• India's Gujral doctrine and Indian policy during the cold war era to not align either with the
west or the Soviet bloc.
• 3) Principled Realism -
• According to it, foreign policy should pursue power as well as morals and ethical values.
• For example-
• India's approach to dealing with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• However, one must keep in mind that rationality and moral duties towards one citizen lead
nations to do things opposite to the values they preach.
• For example -
• The concern shown by the European nations toward human rights is contrary to their actions
in the case of accepting refugees.
Issues / Ethical concerns in International Relations- (04:06 PM)
• 1) Issue of neo-colonialism- International aid with the aim of promoting narrow selfish
interests.
• 2) Issue of irresponsible usage of Global commons.
• 3) Ignorance of human rights violations on the basis of political convenience -
• For example - Xinjiang ignorance by Pakistan. violation of the rights of Uyghur Muslims.
• 4) Intervention in internal affairs of other countries in the name of democracy, preserving law
and order-
 • For Example- The American invasion of Iraq, Syria, and Vietnam.
• 5) International diplomacy is driven by narrow national interest rather than combatting
problems such as terrorism and climate change.
The syllabus of Ethics In Governance has been completed.
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