Kamu Sektöründe "Ethos": Sosyal Kökenler ve Değerlerin Etkileşimi

Abstract

This study investigates the value-laden dimensions of public bureaucracy and their relationship with social origins and individual value orientations, building on recent debates that highlight the normative and moral implications of public bureaucracies. The research aims to examine the nature and consequences of the relationship between the "ethos of bureaucracy" —understood as a system of beliefs or ideals that guide the behavior of individuals within the bureaucratic organizational form— and the value orientations and social backgrounds of bureaucrats. To achieve this, the study first focuses on the social origins and demographic characteristics of bureaucrats, analyzing the diversity in higher echelons of public bureaucracy and examining how individual value orientations correlate with these attributes. Subsequently, it explores whether a distinguishable bureaucratic ethos exists within public administration, investigating the extent to which bureaucrats' social backgrounds and individual value orientations exert separate and interactive influences within this ethos. The findings indicate that the ethos of bureaucracy emerges as a generally consistent value profile, reflecting individual value orientations at a collective level. Despite the long-standing challenges within Turkish public administration, a distinctly Weberian bureaucratic ethos manifests itself in various ways. Furthermore, it is observed that both the social origins of bureaucrats and the nuances in their individual value priorities are meaningfully associated with perceptions of public ethos and public value priorities. The research findings have significant implications for the ethos of public bureaucracy, public sector reforms, and the training of public officials. Moreover, the findings contribute to the debates on "bureaucracy as a moral issue" from a sociological perspective.