Public Policy at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy | University of Toronto

MPP students are to complete either PPG2011H or PPG2022H.

Course Description

Ethics and The Public Interest provides a range of frameworks, drawn from a variety of cultural perspectives, for analyzing and managing the complex ethical dilemmas that public officials confront. It is a course in politically-informed moral reasoning.

The practice of public administration is widely understood to be guided by certain core values and principles. Yet with the growing complexity of the state have come changing demands, structural reforms, and the creation of a more uncertain environment. Participants in this course will be provided with a set of intellectual tools for responding to this new environment, and for thinking about such issues as ethical leadership, public accountability, relating to ministers, and dealing with vague or inconsistent demands. It is organized around discussion of two major issues: first, it asks what values should guide decision-making in areas of administrative discretion; second, it looks at questions of compliance, in order to explore ways that the public service can continue to meet the highest standards of professional ethics.

Term
Fall (2nd year)

Instructors
J. Heath

Notes
*Prerequisite: Successful completion of at least 3.5 FCEs in MPP1 courses
Second year students are required to register in the second year core PPG2011H OR the second year core PPG2022H.