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"This book ... is a set of case studies, relating and reflecting on the stories of specific practitioners, in identified Asian contexts, struggling to act purposefully and conscientiously within their spheres of work, to meet their professional duties asthey understand them. Through careful examination of these selected cases, we can learn a great deal about the kinds of moral competence practitioners require in order to act effectively and well in public life"--
List of contents
Introduction 1. A Gift of Life: Developing a Framework for Ethics 2. The Prison Master's Dilemma: Ethics in a Non-Ideal World 3. Missionaries in China: The Ethics of Exporting Ethics Addendum: Exporting the Rule of Law to China 4. The Woman in the Corridor: Caring Across Boundaries 5. By the people: Becoming a Practitioner of Democracy Conclusion: Moral Competence in Public Life.
About the author
Kenneth Winston is Lecturer in Ethics at the Harvard Kennedy School, USA, where he teaches practical and professional ethics.
Summary
The topic of moral competence is generally neglected in the study of public management and policy, yet it is critical to any hope we might have for strengthening the quality of governance and professional practice. What does moral competence consist in? How is it developed and sustained? These questions are addressed in this book through close examination of selected practitioners in Asian countries making life-defining decisions in their work. The protagonists include a doctor in Singapore, a political activist in India, a mid-level bureaucrat in central Asia, a religious missionary in China, and a journalist in Cambodia—each struggling with ethical challenges that shed light on what it takes to act effectively and well in public life. Together they bear witness to the ideal of public service, exercising their personal gifts for the well-being of others and demonstrating that, even in difficult circumstances, the reflective practitioner can be a force for good.
Report
"Here, Winston examines the impact that 'a rising Asia' could have on global concepts of public ethics. ... For specialists in the political art of practical reasoning, as Winston is, Ethics in Public Life presents a wide variety of fascinating examples of practical reasoning by Asian governance practitioners. ... He provides a challenging restatement about global values in public ethics, with more than a hint of criticism of U.S. practices of good governance." (John Uhr, Political Theory, Vol. 14 (1), March, 2016)
