Let’s Decode UPSC

ETHICS DEFINITIONS

1. Veil of Ignorance: It means imagining you're making rules for society without knowing anything
about yourself.
2. Machiavelli’s Realism: He emphasizes importance of a realistic approach to politics, rather than
relying on idealistic or moralistic principles.
3. Epicureanism is pursuit of happiness as chief aim of life. In his view, happiness is an end in itself.
Pain is the only evil. Happiness does not mean momentary physical or mental pleasure. Happiness is
joy which lasts for whole life.
4. Kierkegaard’s Authentic Living: He believed in acting in accordance with one's true self and inner
convictions.
5. A conflict of interest is a situation wherein a primary interest is unduly influenced by a secondary
interest. It occurs when the decision-making entity has competing interests, loyalties or
responsibilities that may interfere with its ability to make impartial decisions. In context of civil
services, it manifests in not taking decisions on merit or in public interest.
6. An ethical dilemma is a complex situation involving a conflict between two or more moral principles
wherein when one is obeyed, other gets transgressed.
7. The practice of nepotism, appointment of relations and/or friends to public positions, thereby
ignoring the merit principle, leads to the downgrading of the quality of service.
8. Conscience: It is intuition or moral sense that assists in distinguishing right from wrong. In
psychological terms, it leads to feelings of remorse when one commits actions that go against his
moral values and feelings of pleasure when actions, thoughts and words are in conformity to his
value systems.
9. Laws are formal legal statutes passed by a legislative body. Rules are detailed guidelines to
implement laws. Regulations are specific directives issued by an authority to control activities.
10. Accountability means being answerable for performance of tasks assigned.
11. Social Accountability: World Bank defines it as “an approach towards accountability that relies on
civic engagement i.e. in which citizens or civil society participate directly or indirectly in extracting
accountability.”
12. Governance is distinct from government and is process through which various stakeholders
articulate their interests, exercise their rights and mediate their differences (Debroy).
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13. Political Governance: This refers to the way in which a government exercises power and authority
over its citizens, including the establishment of laws, policies, and regulations.
14. Corporate Governance: This refers to the way in which a company is managed and controlled,
including the roles and responsibilities of directors, executives etc.
15. E-governance (electronic governance) refers to use of technology such as internet, digital devices
and software for delivering public services and facilitating interaction between government and
citizens.
16. Ethical Governance: It denotes administrative measures, procedures and policies that fulfill criteria
required for the ethically good or acceptable handling of public affairs.
17. Transparency: Openness and accessibility of information about an organization's activities,
decisions, and outcomes.
18. Principle of Selflessness: Holders of public offices should take decision solely in terms of public
interest.
19. CSR reflects a company's commitment to ethical practices beyond profit-making, aligning with its
duty and moral obligation towards society.
20. As per Jeremy Bentham, probity in governance refers to adherence of ethical principles and integrity
in the conduct of public affairs.
21. Social Contract is an implicit agreement between government and members of society to cooperate
for social benefits, sacrificing some individual freedoms for state protection and societal order.
22. Information ethics focuses on relationship between creation, organization, dissemination and use
of information, along with ethical standards and moral codes.
23. Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules – 1964 are formal, enforceable codes setting out norms of
expected behaviour and sanctions for unacceptable departures from such norms.
24. A code of ethics is a set of principles and values that guide behavior of individuals or organizations.
25. Workplace ethics refers to the moral principles and values that guide behavior in workplace. It
creates a positive work environment, establish trust among employees and stakeholders, and ensure
that the organization operates in a socially responsible and sustainable manner.
26. Social Responsibility: One should act in a socially responsible manner, considering the impact of
their actions on society and the environment.
27. Professional competence is based only on development of skills and do not take care of means and
results are more visible and immediate, but are short-lived.
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28. In value-based skill development, we expand the definition of success, making it long-term,
sustainable and wholesome. Such value-based skill development leads to ‘Existential or Holistic
Competence’.
29. Citizens’ charter represents the commitment of an organization towards standard, quality and
timeframe of service delivery, grievance redress mechanism and accountability.
30. Sevottam is combination of words ‘Seva + Uttam’, meaning excellence in services. The model has
three modules; citizen’s charter, public grievance redress mechanism and service delivery capability
and helps Government in improving public service delivery.
31. Doctrine of Public Trust: It establishes that the money belongs to citizens and is given to public
officers due to the trust reposed in them. It lays responsibility on public servants to ensure that the
public is served and public goals are achieved.
32. Doctrine of Appropriateness: It emphasizes that way money is spent should bring equity, efficiency
and economy. Public officers should apply their acumen in spending.
33. Transparency International defines corruption as “abuse of entrusted power for private gain or
specific group interest”.
34. Coercive bribery is where the bribe giver is a victim of extortion & is compelled to pay for a service
because if he does not submit to the extortionary demands of the public servant, he ends up losing
much more than the bribe.
35. Collusive bribery is where the bribe-giver and bribe-taker together fleece society and the bribe-giver
is as guilty as or even guiltier than the bribe-taker.

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