Summary
Contents
Subject index
This volume takes a critical look at the popular representations of the concept of public and private in the context of democracy. Most analyses of state and citizenship in contemporary times invoke the idea of public and private. Though these are amongst the most commonly used terms in social science discourses, there exists considerable ambiguity about what each of these concepts denotes. Most often they are presented as discrete, if not separate, spheres of life and activity locked in an antagonistic relationship.
The essays in this volume take a critical look at these diverse representations of public and private, the manner in which they reinforce each other and collectively impact democracy. In the era of globalization, the relationship between public and private is being steadily redefined. The book reflects upon these changes and the implications they have for democratic citizenship.
Public Ethics and Accountability
Public Ethics and Accountability
Let us first examine the meaning of ‘public’, ‘ethics’ and ‘accountability’—to illumine our understanding of the three characters in the title, namely
Public
Ethics
Accountability
The Webster's Dictionary defines these terms as follows:
Public: Of or pertaining to the people; relating to, belonging to, or affecting a nation, state, or community at large—opposed to private. (The Dictionary defines Private as belonging to, or concerning, an individual; personal; one's own; not general or common; as private property or opinions.)
Ethics: The science of moral values and duties; the study of ideal character, actions and ends. (The Dictionary defines Moral as characterized by excellence in what pertains to practice or conduct; right and proper. Pertaining to character, conduct, intentions, social relations etc, viewed ethically as moral ...
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