On the Values and Principles that Determine the Actions of Public Servants

Abstract

Public servants do not always act in the interest of the community even though legal sanctions to corruption exist. Therefore, it is necessary to find new ways to solve such an important problem. This article seeks to outline the foundations of the principles that should govern the behavior of public servants. To do this, we first try to establish a method that allows for the creation of these principles, based on Luis Villoro’s theory of value and Immanuel Kant’s ethics. This leads to identifying the public interest as a value to be pursued in and of itself. From this one may then derive the values of responsibility, objectivity, impartiality, reasonableness, publicness, solidarity, prudence and instrumentality, from which ethical principles are built and subsequently positivized into law.