Integrity, Public Accountability and Responsibility: Comparative Anthropology in South Europe

What is it about?

This chapter draws on anthropological analysis to address integrity in the political context. As an anthropologist, I feel that I must provide a conceptual definition of ‘integrity’ before engaging with my ethnography. Integrity implies adherence to moral and ethical principles on the basis of which people evaluate the ‘soundness’ (or consistency) of a person’s moral character and, ultimately, their honesty, accountability, and responsibility. Therefore, integrity is a value system that carries expectations of other people’s actions. While the perception of a person’s integrity is a significant element in all social relations, it becomes particularly relevant for people who have decision-making power. In the discussion that follows I shall address aspects of integrity that are fundamental at various levels of government (local, national, and international); specifically, I shall address politicians’ accountability and their ethics of responsibility.

Featured Image