Kostecki Dawid, Ethics of a Public Administration Official in Poland: Prospects for the Development of Professional Deontology

A substantial increase of interest in ethical standards in particular professional fields can be observed in modern times. Whereas the professions of a doctor or a lawyer follow practical tools such as codes of best practice created by sufficiently developed professional self-governments of advocates, notaries or doctors, the internal diversification of the profession of a public official (public authority officials, territorial self-government officials) as well as the transformation of public administration have not been con-ducive to the development of appropriate ethical standards. The renaissance of ethical-professional reflection can be, on the one hand, seen as a result of a „fashion” within the process of the development of particular professions; on the other, however, as a peculiar antidote for the „moral crisis” that has eroded a number of public life areas.

The profession of a public official was highly esteemed in the times of the Second Polish Republic. Nevertheless, it...