Civil Service Values and Public Service Ethics Notes for UPSC: Integrity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Nolan Principles, Second ARC, Conduct Rules and Ethical Dilemmas

A civil servant holds the power of the State: to decide a licence, to grant a benefit, to investigate a crime, to allot a plot of land. Citizens trust that this power will be used for the public good and not for private gain. The values that make this trust possible are called civil service values or public service ethics. In the UPSC Mains, the Ethics paper (GS IV) tests these values directly in the theory questions ("What is the role of integrity in the civil services?") and indirectly in the case studies. The Prelims and the Interview also test them through the Conduct Rules, the Seven Principles of the Public Life and the institutions that promote the ethical administration. These notes explain the core values of the civil service, the Nolan principles, the Second ARC recommendations, the Conduct Rules, the legal and institutional framework, the common dilemmas and the way to use them in answers.

Why This Topic Is Important

Civil service values are the heart of the Ethics paper. A student who has a clear idea of each value, and a real example for it, can write a convincing answer and take better decisions in the case studies. The topic also gives the base for the Interview, where the board tests your character. Read this together with our notes on Ethics and Human Values, Probity in Governance and Civil Service Values and Conflict of Interest, Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct.

What Are Civil Service Values?

Values are the stable beliefs about what is right and important, which guide our choices. In the civil service, they are of two kinds: the terminal values (the ultimate goals, such as justice, welfare of all, equality and the rule of law) and the instrumental values (the qualities and the behaviours that help to reach the goals, such as integrity, impartiality, honesty and empathy). The Constitution gives the basic frame: the Preamble's ideals of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles.

Core Values of a Civil Servant

The Seven Principles of Public Life (Nolan Principles)

In 1995, the UK Committee on Standards in Public Life, led by Lord Nolan, gave seven principles for those who hold the public office. They are widely accepted as a global guide and are asked in UPSC often.

1. Selflessness: Take decisions only in the public interest, and not for the financial or other personal benefit.
2. Integrity: Do not place yourself under any obligation to the outside persons who may influence the duties.
3. Objectivity: Take the decisions on the basis of the merit in the public appointments, the contracts and the rewards.
4. Accountability: Be answerable for the decisions and the actions, and accept the scrutiny.
5. Openness: Be as open as possible about the decisions and the reasons, and give the information unless there is a clear reason for secrecy.
6. Honesty: Declare the private interests relating to the public duties and resolve any conflict in the public interest.
7. Leadership: Promote and support these principles by the leadership and the example.

Recommendations of the Second ARC on Ethics in Governance

The Second Administrative Reforms Commission, in its fourth report, "Ethics in Governance", said that the civil service must be built on the values of the integrity, impartiality, neutrality, anonymity, dedication to public service and commitment to the Constitution. It recommended the code of ethics and the code of conduct, the strengthening of the Lokpal and the Lokayuktas, the protection to the whistle-blowers, the reduction of the discretionary powers, the transparent rules of the procurement, the reform of the political funding and the cleaner politics, and the ethics training of the officers. The "anonymity" principle means that the officer works behind the scenes and the minister takes the public credit or the blame, though this is being questioned in the present age of media.

Rules of Conduct for the Civil Servants

• The All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 and the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964 require every officer to maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty, and to do nothing unbecoming of a government servant.
• The rules restrict the acceptance of gifts beyond a limit, the participation in politics and the elections, the private trade or business, the criticism of the government in the public media and the disclosure of the official information.
• The officers must declare the assets and the liabilities annually (the property returns).
• The disciplinary action for the violations follows the principles of the natural justice and the rules of the discipline and appeal.

Legal and Institutional Framework to Promote Ethics

Common Ethical Dilemmas of a Civil Servant

• Rule versus compassion: A poor family does not meet a technical condition for a scheme. Should the officer help?
• Loyalty versus legality: An illegal oral instruction by a superior or a politician: obey or refuse?
• Public interest versus personal interest: A relative's file comes to the officer for a decision.
• Transparency versus confidentiality: The need to share the information with the public, versus the security or privacy concerns.
• Speed versus procedure: The urgency of a disaster response against the rules of the purchase.

A Simple Method for the Ethical Decision

1. Understand the facts and the stakeholders (who is affected).
2. Identify the ethical issues, the values in conflict and the legal rules.
3. List the options with their pros and cons, in the short and the long term.
4. Test each option with the questions: Is it legal? Is it fair? Does it serve the public interest? Would I be comfortable if it became public? Can I explain it to the family?
5. Choose the best option, and explain how to implement it and to reduce the harm.

Strengthening the Ethical Culture: The Mains Angle

For a Mains answer, discuss the need (the growing complexity of the governance, the corruption and the loss of trust), the sources of the ethics (the Constitution, the laws, the codes, the family and the education, and the role models), the challenges (political interference, the lack of the protection to the honest officers, the transfers as punishment, the weak enforcement and the rise of the social media pressure), and the measures (the code of ethics, the training, the fixed tenure, the protection to the whistle-blowers, the transparent systems and the e-governance, the strong citizen participation and the example of the leadership). Add one or two real examples of the officers who showed the courage, and relate to Gandhi's talisman: "Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest person you have seen, and ask whether the step will be of any use to him".

Previous-Year Style Practice

• Who gave the seven principles of the public life? Answer: The Nolan Committee (UK, 1995).
• Which Act protects the persons who report the corruption? Answer: The Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2014.
• Which report of the Second ARC deals with the ethics? Answer: The fourth report, 'Ethics in Governance'.
• Which rules govern the conduct of the IAS officers? Answer: The All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are the core values of the civil service?

Integrity, impartiality, neutrality, objectivity, accountability, transparency, dedication to public service, empathy and courage.

What are the Nolan principles?

The seven principles of the public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

What is political neutrality?

The principle that a civil servant serves the government of the day without taking the side of any party.

What is the anonymity principle?

The idea that an officer works behind the scenes and the minister takes the public responsibility.

Which rules govern the conduct of the IAS officers?

The All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968.

What did the Second ARC recommend on ethics?

A code of ethics and the conduct, the protection of the whistle-blowers, the stronger anti-corruption bodies and the transparent procedures.

What is the Lokpal?

An independent body under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, to investigate the corruption cases against the public servants.

What is the aim of the Whistle Blowers Protection Act?

To protect the persons who report the corruption or the misuse of power.

What is Mission Karmayogi?

A national programme of 2020 for the capacity building of the civil servants.

What is moral courage?

The strength to do the right thing even under the pressure or the risk of a personal loss.

What is the difference between a value and a norm?

A value is a belief about what is good; a norm is a rule or an expected behaviour based on the values.

How is this topic asked in UPSC?

As the theory questions on the values and the principles, and as the case studies in the Ethics paper.