Ethics Articles

All Articles

The Influence of Partisan Politics on Government

The Public Sector Roundtable hosts former Republican Congressman Mickey Edwards

View From Sacramento

Materials from a meeting of the Public Sector Roundtable on how state and local government can work together

Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls in Government Service

Questions that public officials should ask before making a decision
Joe Simitian and Judy Nadler

How the State Legislature Impacts Local Government

How empathy can help state and local legislators work together more effectively
Joe Simitian and Judy Nadler

How the State Legislature Impacts Local Government

California politician Joe Simitian talks about how different levels of state and local government can work together.
Miriam Schulman

Government Ethics Articles

Materials on transparency, gifts and bribes, conflicts of interest, campaigns, and other topics in government ethics.

Toward Stronger Ethics in Government Relations

The senior counselor to the chairman at Hill & Knowlton discusses lobbying.
Tom Hoog

Leadership in Government Ethics (video)

Senior Fellow in Government Ethics speaks on leadership around values at a national conference at SMU.
Judy Nadler

What's in a Name?

The (fictional) town of Berkshire has named a plaza after its long-time mayor. Now the mayor has been convicted of taking kickbacks. Should the city change the plaza name?
Judy Nadler

Fairness and the California Redistricting Process

Redistricting Commissioner Angelo Ancheta and SCU Professor of Political Science Janet Flammang discuss the evolution of the new California plan.
Miriam Schulman

Brief History of Redistricting in California Since 1970

SCU Professor of Political Science Janet Flammang traces the often contentious process of drawing new district lines.
Janet Flammang

Fairness in Redistricting: Interview With a California Commissioner (video)

Center Senior Fellow in Government Ethics Nadler discusses the challenges that faced the California Citizens Redistricting Commission with Commissioner Ancheta
Judy Nadler and Angelo Ancheta

Republic Lost (podcast)

An analysis of the corrupting power of money in American politics
Lawrence Lessig

New Unavoidable Ethical Dilemmas for Elected Officials

The use of social media and new forms of conflicts of interest top the update of ethical issues facing locally elected public servants.

Deep Pockets

Materials on how local governments weigh whether or not to defend against litigation

Deep Pockets in the Public Sector

When should a city defend against litigation, and when should it settle? A look at the ethical issues.
Miriam Schulman

Ethics: Beyond Codes and Disclosure Forms

Presentation to 32 Speakers of State Houses of Representatives at the 2009 National Speakers Conference hosted by the State Legislative Leaders Foundation, Sea Island, Georgia. October 22, 2009
Kirk Hanson

Red Light, Green Light for State Legislators

Brief cases highlight ethical dilemmas for state officials
Judy Nadler

Emerging Ethical Issues for Local Government Officials

Do We Have an Obligation to Vote?

An analysis of whether it is possible to make a rational case for the individual's responsibility to vote.
Scott LaBarge, introduced by Judy Nadler

Codes of Ethics and Values

Access to a wide variety of resources on how cities can develop ethical codes
Judy Nadler and Miriam Schulman

Introduction to Government Ethics

Basic material on the most common ethical issues in public service
Judy Nadler and Miriam Schulman

On-Line Resources in Government Ethics

Links to articles, codes, and other materials about government ethics programs.

Creating a Culture of Ethics in the Public Sector

Remarks on government ethics presented at the World Bank
Judy Nadler

Government Ethics Cases for City Finance Directors

Scenarios ask city finance directors to give a red or green light.
Judy Nadler

A Tale of Two Downtowns

How should a Vietnamese-American councilmember balance the needs of his own ethnic group and the needs of other segments of the community?
Judy Nadler

Unavoidable Ethical Dilemmas of Newly-Elected Local Officials

As part of the Center's commitment to government ethics, Senior Fellow Judy Nadler convened 13 mayors and council members for Santa Clara and San Mateo counties to share the top ethical dilemmas confronting every person who comes into local elected office.
Judy Nadler

Lying in Government

Peter Minowitz, author of "Straussophobia," leads a discussion of "the noble lie."(podcast)
Emerging Issues Group