Political Ethics

"What is the relationship between politics and morality? Should politicians violate moral constraints to achieve greater goods or to avoid disasters? Is it always wrong for politicians to lie and deceive? In Political Ethics: A Handbook, edited by Andrew Sabl and Edward Hall, a collection of leading experts in the field of political ethics offer an introduction to the key issues in this rapidly growing subfield of political theory. The essays cover a broad range of topics and themes relevant to stable democracies around the world, including the ethics of lobbying, leadership, partisanship, secrecy and whistleblowing, the role of representatives, compromise, emergency powers, political activism, public administration, and political corruption. These essays are written at a level accessible to undergraduates, as well as advanced scholars seeking scholarly introductions to the topics covered. Ultimately, the book considers how to evaluate political conduct from a realistic but ethically demanding standpoint, and offers a clear-eyed analysis of the ethical challenges inherent in political life in the twenty-first century"--