MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. What moral dilemmas do patronage appointments in the public sector present? What impact might they have on the civil service’s accountability and efficiency?
GS IV – Ethics related issues
Introduction:
- In the public sector, patronage appointments refer to the practice of selecting or elevating people not on the basis of their qualifications or merit, but rather on their political connections or allegiance. The effectiveness and accountability of the civil service may be impacted by the ethical questions raised by this practice.
A few moral dilemmas that arise from patronage appointments include:
- Meritocracy and Fairness: The notion that the most competent people should work in the civil service is fundamental to the meritocracy principle, which is compromised when political allegiance is used to appoint people to public sector positions. This, in turn, compromises the selection process’s fairness.
- Nepotism and Cronyism: When family members, friends, or political allies of people in power occupy government jobs, it can result from patronage and give rise to nepotism and cronyism.
- Accountability: It is difficult to hold public officials responsible for their acts when appointments are made on the basis of patronage. People whose positions are the result of their political ties could feel more obligated to their donors and less responsible to the general public.
- Inefficiency: Patronage appointments frequently lead to the appointment of unfit people to important administrative positions. This may result in inefficiencies because these appointees might not have the abilities and knowledge needed to do their jobs well.
- Erosion of Public Trust: Public confidence in public institutions is damaged when people believe that political favours are being given in exchange for government jobs. This may cause people to lose faith in the government’s capacity to protect the rule of law and serve the interests of the people.
It may have a variety of effects on the civil service’s effectiveness and accountability, including:
- Decreased productivity and performance: Appointees under patronage may not have the requisite training, expertise, or experience to carry out their jobs well.
- Additionally, because they could think of their jobs as transient or unstable, they might not be as motivated or committed to their work.
- This may result in increased expenses and risks for the public sector as well as decreased productivity and performance.
- Growing instability and turnover: Because they might be ousted or replaced by new political figures or changes in the administration, patronage appointees could likewise experience high levels of instability and turnover.
- This may lead to gaps or overlaps in tasks and responsibilities as well as disruptions to the continuity and consistency of governmental policies and services.
- It can also impair the public sector’s institutional memory and learning, making it less flexible in the face of shifting conditions.
Way Forward:
- to enact reforms, independent oversight, accountability, transparency, anti-nepotism, anti-cronyism policies, and whistleblower protection in order to address ethical difficulties in the public service. Encouraging nominations based on merit guarantees effectiveness, efficiency, accountability, sound governance, and the provision of public services.
Q2. How does cognitive dissonance impact moral judgement and what does it mean? How can you get past cognitive dissonance so that you can behave morally?
GS IV – Ethics related issues
Introduction:
- According to psychological theory, people experience cognitive dissonance when they behave in a way that is inconsistent with their values and beliefs or when they have two opposing attitudes, views, or values. You may encounter cognitive dissonance, for instance, if you smoke despite believing it is unhealthy for you.
When making moral decisions, cognitive dissonance might result in:
- Ethical Dilemmas: People may suffer from cognitive dissonance when presented with a moral dilemma if their decision goes against their core ethical beliefs. This may cause unease and internal conflict.
- Rationalisation: Individuals may use rationalisation to minimise the impact of their immoral behaviour or to lessen cognitive dissonance.
- To ease the anguish associated with their moral violations, someone could, for instance, minimise the harm that results from their conduct.
- Selective Information Processing: People may deliberately look for or focus more on information that validates their immoral actions, while ignoring or discounting evidence that contradicts them.
- They are able to keep their views and behaviours consistent because of this selective information processing.
The following tactics should be taken into account in order to get over cognitive dissonance and behave morally:
- Sincere Self-Analysis: The first step in overcoming cognitive dissonance is acknowledging and dealing with that guilty sensation. You can learn where your activities might not be in line with your ideals by sincerely examining the cause of this discomfort.
- Seeking Feedback: It can be quite helpful to get opinions from people who have similar moral principles to your own. They can provide alternative viewpoints, refute your justifications, and offer helpful critique. It’s critical that you receive this critique with an open mind since it may make your behaviour more understandable.
- Learning from faults: It’s important to accept responsibility for your errors and faults. To deny or rationalise them is to continue causing cognitive dissonance. Rather, by drawing lessons from these situations, you can develop personally and steer clear of making the same mistakes in the future.
- Making Well-Informed Decisions: It’s Critical to Make Decisions Based on Reasoned, Ethical Principles Rather Than Emotional Reactions or Biases. A crucial component of making ethical decisions is having an open mind to new facts and data and being prepared to revise your opinions or course of action when it is shown to be incorrect or detrimental.
- Reminding yourself of your moral ideals and values on a regular basis will help you maintain them at the forefront of your decision-making. Examine how your behaviour fits with these principles and think about the benefits it can bring to both you and other people.
Way Forward:
- Not every instance of cognitive dissonance is detrimental. It can occasionally inspire us to behave morally, particularly in situations where we feel bad or regret what we did. For instance, you might resolve to study more diligently and refrain from cheating the next time if you cheat on an exam and feel horrible about it.
