Nevada Four Guerillas’ Competing Obligations Research Papers Example

Waldo’s map of ethical obligations

Ethics involves values and how to define right and wrong action. Waldo (2000) provided a map of ethical obligations of public servants. The relevance of this map to the subject of guerilla government cannot be gainsaid. This map brings together a set of ethical obligations. The major theme that these obligations present is that different public servants are compelled by different ethical obligations. Thus, it is difficult to establish the wrongness or rightfulness of the actions of guerillas.

Impact of Nevada Four

Nevada four is a story about four scientists who managed to get a bill passed through Congress. The bill was meant to dedicate water to Nevada wetlands. The passing of this legislation occurred against the will of their superiors. The results of the activities of guerilla governments were beneficial to a majority of people. These scientists led a secret environmental war that sought to save the wetlands in Nevada (O’Leary, 2014). This made the ethics behind their activity difficult to establish. In light of Waldo’s competing ethical obligations, the actions of the scientists bore the question as to whether they acted in way that was regarded as accountable and responsive to the public. Since the bill was passed, government had to implement the will of the people. Nevada four promoted a policy that received the support of consumers, interest groups and clients.
I agree with action of Nevada Four. They did not prioritize their allegiance and responsiveness to the organization. These scientists were right in their actions since they put the interest of the public ahead of organizational pressures and barriers that would otherwise, have prevented them from doing the right thing.

References

O'Leary, R. (2014). The ethics of dissent: Managing guerrilla government. Cq Press.
Waldo, D. (2000). The relationship between ethics and public administration: The concept of competing ethical obligation. Public Administration: Concepts and Cases, 498-512.