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On a code of ethics for policy experts
Author(s) -
Benveniste Guy
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of policy analysis and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.898
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1520-6688
pISSN - 0276-8739
DOI - 10.1002/pam.4050030406
Subject(s) - legitimacy , secrecy , notice , public relations , field (mathematics) , process (computing) , political science , power (physics) , engineering ethics , business , law and economics , law , sociology , computer science , engineering , politics , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics , operating system
Advances in science and technology have exposed society to risks of unprecedented magnitude, which sometimes must be faced on very short notice, as in the field of nuclear power. Those developments have greatly increased the significance of the opinions of policy experts. When adversaries are pitted against one another on such issues, the risk that policy experts may lose legitimacy in the eyes of the public is very high. At such times, the concern grows that the experts' views may be influenced by pressure from their principals or by conflicts of personal interest. One step that could reduce the risk of a loss of legitimacy for policy experts is to develop a code of ethics, which would include such issues as defining the responsibility of the expert, identifying unacceptable conflicts of interest, determining the expert's obligations regarding secrecy and disclosure, and developing standards for the process of decision‐making in emergencies.