Syllabus: GS 4 – Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.
| “A mere compliance with law is not enough, the public servant also has to have a well-developed sensibility to ethical issues for effective discharge of duties.” Do you agree? Explain with the help of two examples, where (i) an act is ethically right, but not legally and (ii) an act is legally right, but not ethically. | 2015 |
| Law and Ethics are considered to be the two tools for controlling human conduct so as to make it conducive to civilized social existence. (a) Discuss how they achieve this objective. | 2016 |
| “In doing a good thing, everything is permitted which is not prohibited expressly or by clear implication.” Examine the statement with suitable examples in the context of a public servant discharging his/her duties. | 2018 |
| What is meant by ‘crisis of conscience’? How does it manifest itself in the public domain? | 2019 |
| Distinguish between laws and rules. Discuss the role of ethics in formulating them | 2020 |
| Is conscience a more reliable guide when compared to laws, rules and regulations in the context of ethical decision-making? Discuss. | 2023 |