Individuals and institutions rely on leaders to accomplish tasks. Fellow citizens, colleagues and subordinates depend on the leader and are vulnerable to the consequences of his or her actions. They rely on a leader's competence and promises.
Citizens depend on official leaders to protect their security, welfare and basic interests.
Colleagues and other officials depend on leaders to enable them to perform their work. Leaders who hold office are responsible for respecting that reliance, vulnerability and dependence. The ethics of responsibility requires leaders to attend to the consequences of their actions. The goal of this class is to explore the issues of leadership and ethics in the public sector as extensively as possible. It is based on the belief that public service, as much or more than other professions, requires strong ethical leadership.