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Articles

Find articles on government ethics including conflicts of interest, gifts and bribes, campaigns, whistleblowing, lobbying, cronyism, and empowering democracy.

Cases

Find ethics case studies on government ethics topics including open meetings, campaigns, bribes, civility, and conflicts of interest.

Hear what our staff and fellows are saying about voting, public trust, transparency, and more.

Voting for Ethics: A Guide for U.S. Voters

Voting for Ethics is a non-partisan guide that equips U.S. voters to make informed decisions. It emphasizes identifying ethical candidates, irrespective of political affiliations.

Campaign Ethics

This guidebook is designed to help those managing or engaging in political campaigns do so in an ethical manner. It also serves as a valuable resource to voters, helping them identify the hallmarks of an ethical campaign.

John Pelissero, senior scholar in government ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics discusses voting rights, disinformation, discrimination, and voter suppression.

Rules of Engagement for Political Debates

Based on the premise that our political process is born out of the ethical ideal of creating an informed electorate, the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics has developed the following guidelines for ethical debate conduct by candidates.

Codes of Ethics Guidelines

A collection of code of ethics guidelines and samples from professional associations and state and local governments.

Conflicts of Interest in Government

Five of the most common conflicts of interest in government and how officials can avoid and prevent even the appearance of acting to benefit their personal and financial interests, at the cost of the public’s interest.

Summaries From Past Public Sector Roundtable Events

Mayors, councilmembers, ethics commissioners, city managers and other officials, and county supervisors met with scholars and subject-area specialists to discuss ethical dilemmas. Topics included pension reform, redistricting, use of social media in government, and budgeting in a time of fiscal austerity. 

Government Ethics Advisory Council

Leaders from government and civic organizations participate in the Government Ethics Advisory Council to share ideas and brainstorm solutions to some of the most pressing ethical dilemmas in the area of government, elections, voting, and civic responsibility, led by Davina Hurt, director of government ethics.

Government Ethics Fellowship

Fellows work on projects at the intersection of policy and ethics with Davina Hurt, Director of Government Ethics at the Ethics Center.