Skip to the main content

Croatian and comparative public administration : a journal for theory and practice of public administration, Vol. 13 No. 2, 2013.

Review article

Codes and Civil Servants’ Ethics

Gordana Marčetić orcid id orcid.org/0000-0002-7998-6874 ; Chair of Administrative Science, Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb,Zagreb, Croatia

Full text: croatian pdf 2.497 Kb

page 499-539

downloads: 10.546

cite

Abstract

The paper analyses the development of civil servants’ ethics in Croatia after 1990. There is a particular emphasis on the normative and organisational aspects of the issue, which include three interconnected measures recommended by the OECD: an effective legal framework, an implementable code of ethics, and a coordinative body in charge of ethical matters. The development of legislation in the field of ethics is described, followed by an evaluation of its implementation in practice. The lack of value dimension in the Croatian Code is pointed out. The paper proceeds to discuss the role, competences, and tasks of the Civil Servants’ Ethics Commission, as well as those of the individuals in charge of ethical matters in the central state administrative bodies and in the Ethics Department of the Ministry of Administration from their establishment onwards. In addition, the author makes suggestions for improvement of ethical measures in the Croatian Civil Service. There is an outline of the comparative situation in the countries at the territory of former Yugoslavia together with a description of the development, content and bodies competent for adopting of the codes of ethics, since Croatia and the other countries on that territory share the same historical circumstances and common administrative tradition. It is concluded that usefulness of laws and codes as ethical measures is insufficient unless they are internalised by the very servants. Thus, codes of ethics should not be compared to legal regulations that are based on the mechanism of force and sanctions nor should they be adopted by legislative and executive bodies, but by civil servants themselves as a reflection of internalised values and principles.

Keywords

ethics; civil service; codes of ethics; codes of behaviour; Croatia; countries at the territory of former Yugoslavia

Hrčak ID:

130582

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/130582

Publication date:

18.6.2013.

Article data in other languages: croatian

Visits: 12.942 *