Ethical management and social responsibility: key to success in public administration

Abstract

Ethical management and social responsibility are key variables for strengthening modern public administration, especially in contexts where institutional transparency and citizen trust have become top priorities. This study aimed to analyze how these principles are integrated into public sector administrative practices and how they influence institutional outcomes. To this end, research questions were formulated to identify the ethical and social responsibility values that guide public management, propose strategies to strengthen their application, and define indicators to evaluate their impact. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), conducted following the PRISMA methodology. The search was carried out in the Scopus database. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria and removing duplicates and inaccessible documents, 35 relevant articles were selected that directly addressed the research questions. The results show that public administration is primarily based on principles such as transparency, moral and collective responsibility, and social justice, which are considered fundamental pillars. However, other equally important values such as equity, citizen participation, and sustainability were found to have a moderate level of implementation, suggesting the need to strengthen their practical application. In response, specific strategies were proposed, aligned with these less represented principles, along with a set of evaluation indicators aimed at promoting a more ethical, inclusive, and socially oriented public administration.