Ethics in government: From a Winter of despair to a Spring of hope

This study examines changing attitudes about ethics in government. It compares the perceptions of public managers in 1989 with those in 1996, a time that saw the passing of the Decade of Greed and the coming of the Decade of Reinventing Government. The findings fr om this national survey explore attitudes toward ethics in society and integrity in public agencies, with emphasis an the American Society for Public Administration's (ASPA) newly-revised Code of Ethics. While there is some consistency and stability of views over the seven year period, the results suggest that individuals are increasingly empowered agencies are effecting change, and the Society's rode may be impacting management practices The implications of these data for future ASPA ethics activities are then explored.