Mains Self Study – Test 18 (Ethics)
- “In matters of conscience, the law of majority has no place.” Clarify the quote with examples. What is its relevance for the contemporary order?
- “By restricting social benefits to BPL households, the poverty line will be fully converted from a statistical benchmark to a real-life social division” (Jean Dreze). Discuss.
- Socrates says that an unexamined life is not worth living. Do you think such reflection in public servants can help tackle corrupt practices in the government?
- Narrate an instance from your life where social norms and your conscience were at loggerheads with each other. How did you resolve the situation?
- “The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?” Establish the moral basis of this quote discussing it in the context of prevailing bureaucratic apathy in India.
- Do you think that the Indian constitution leans heavily on Benthem’s principle of Utilitarianism? Are there exceptions? Justify with examples.
- The incentive structure in government is highly ‘distorted’, ‘misplaced’ and ‘inadequate’. Clarify the context of this statement discussing each keyword separately. Can we achieve private sector like efficiencies by addressing the incentive structure in government?
- Consider you are the secretary of the state Ministry of Labour and Employment. The Minister has approved a proposal for an unemployment allowance scheme that will have major fiscal implications without any clear long-term benefit for the state. You suspect that the Minister wants to announce the scheme to get political mileage ahead of elections. Your personal values are strictly against such a dole-based scheme that apparently harms public interest. However, as a civil servant, you are bound to follow Minister’s orders.
- a) Bring out the ethical issues involved in the case.
- b) How would you resolve this situation?
- In your view, was the Greece debt crisis handled ‘ethically’ by international financial institutions that came to its aid? Discuss. If not, what approach you would suggest?
- Transparency is the weakest link in corporate governance. Elucidate this statement with contemporary examples. How can the government and corporate address this major issue?
