When addressing evaluation ethics, both the literature and existing ethics codes focus on evaluators’ conduct. This risks undermining the evaluator’s position vis-à-vis programme managers and evaluation commissioners, without addressing major ethical issues. This study indicates that the factors influencing ethical choices include institutional settings and organizational arrangements. Evidence was collected from an institutionalization of evaluation process in Italy where internal Evaluation Units were created across regions and ministries to support the implementation of EU Cohesion policy. The article investigates the institutional factors influencing observed conflicts and associated ethical dilemmas. The article discusses how to limit opportunities for unethical behaviour and suggests devoting more attention to institutional issues and organizational dimensions when drafting ethics codes. It is argued that this analysis has broader implications for efforts to strengthen ethical behaviour in public sector evaluation.
America Evaluation Society (AEA) (2004) Guiding principles for evaluation. Available at: http://www.eval.org/p/cm/ld/fid=51 (accessed 11 January 2016).
BrienA (1998) Professional ethics and the culture of trust. Journal of Business Ethics17(4): 391–409.
5.
Canadian Evaluation Society (2015) CES guidelines for ethical conduct. Available at: https://evaluationcanada.ca/ethics (accessed 11 January 2016).
6.
CassellCJohnsonPSmithK (1997) Opening the black box: Corporate codes of ethics in their organisational context. Journal of Business Ethics16(10): 1077–93.
7.
ChelimskyE (2008) A clash of cultures: Improving the ‘fit’ between evaluative independence and the political requirements of a democratic society. American Journal of Evaluation29(4): 400–15.
8.
CohenSEimickeWHeikkilaT (2013) The Effective Public Manager: Achieving Success in Government Organisations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
MorrisM (2008) Evaluation Ethics for Best Practices: Cases and Commentaries. New York: The Guilford Press
20.
MorrisM (2011) The good, the bad, and the evaluator: 25 years of AJE ethics. American Journal of Evaluation32(1): 134–51.
21.
MorrowPMcElroyJ (1993) Introduction: Understanding and managing loyalty in a multi-commitment world. Journal of Business Research26: 1–2.
22.
MurphyPESmithJEDaleyJM (1992) Executive attitudes, organisational size and ethical issues: Perspectives on a service industry. Journal of Business Ethics11(1): 11–17.
23.
PicciottoR (2013) Evaluation independence in organisations. Journal of Multi Disciplinary Evaluation9(20): 18–32.
24.
RusbultCEZembrodtIMGunnLK (1982) Exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect: Responses to dissatisfaction in romantic involvements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology43(6): 1230–42.
25.
SimonsH (2006) Ethics in evaluation. In: ShawIFGreeneJCMelvinMM (eds) The SAGE Handbook of Evaluation. London: SAGE, 213–32.
26.
SomersMJ (2001) Ethical codes of conduct and organisational context: Study of the relationship between codes of conduct, employee behavior and organisational values. Journal of Business Ethics30: 185–95.
United Nations Evaluation Group (2008) Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation. UNEG, March2008, New York. Available at: http://www.unevaluation.org/document/detail/102 (accessed 2 December 2015).
31.
VardiYWeitzE (2004) Misbehavior in Organisations: Theory, Research, and Management. Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
32.
YahrMABryanLDSchimmelK (2009) Perceptions of college and university codes of ethics. Journal of Academic and Business Ethics2. Available at: http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/09282.pdf.
33.
WebleySWernerA (2008) Corporate codes of ethics: Necessary but not sufficient. Business Ethics: A European Review17(4): 405–15.
34.
ZalkindSS (1987) Is whistle-blowing related to job satisfaction and other variables?Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, New York City, NY, August 1987.
