Aligning the ethics of public-private partnership: The issue of local economic development

Abstract

This article surveys the ethical terrain of public-private partnerships that can affect public policy at the local level. Amidst the resonance of the current appeal to reinvent government, there are indications that ethics may be an afterthought among arguments that local jurisdictions should become more enterprising and catalytic. A case study included herein invites ethical scrutiny of a partnership between a county government and a local chamber of commerce from two perspectives - one of personal moral standards and the other of policy ethics.