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Cited by 651Philosophical Ethics and TheoryPublic Policy and Administration ResearchPolitical Philosophy and Ethics

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 44 of the 48 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Moral Responsibility of Public Officials: The Problem of Many Hands

Thompson, Dennis F.·1980·American Political Science Review
DOI 10.2307/1954312
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Abstract

That many different officials contribute in many different ways to decisions and policies in the modern state makes it difficult to ascribe moral responsibility to any official. The usual responses to this problem—based on concepts of hierarchical and collective responsibility—distort the notion of responsibility. The idea of personal responsibility—based on causal and volitional criteria—constitutes a better approach to the problem of ascribing responsibility to public officials. Corresponding to each of these criteria are types of excuses that officials use in defending the decisions they make. An analysis of the conditions under which the excuses eliminate or mitigate responsibility provides a foundation for accountability in a democracy.

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4 of the 48 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 23

  1. Bok, 1978, Lying
  2. Lowi, 1979, The End of Liberalism
  3. Truman, 1955, Memoirs, Vol. 1, Years of Decisions
  4. 1971, In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer
  5. Rohr, 1978, Ethics for Bureaucrats
  6. Hobbes, 1962, Leviathan
  7. Glover, 1970, Responsibility
  8. 1975, Watergate
  9. Hart, 1959, Causation in the Law
  10. Sjoberg, 1978, Bureaucratic Power in National Politics
  11. Ashabranner, 1971, A Moment in History
  12. Lukas, 1977, Nightmare
  13. Nelson, 1968, The Politics of Science
  14. Martin, 1966, Overtaken by Events
  15. Aristotle, 1963, The Works of Aristotle
  16. Thompson, 1981, Ethics in Government
  17. Friedlander, 1969, Kurt Cerstein
  18. Weisband, 1976, Resignation in Protest
  19. Kaufman, 1977, Red Tape
  20. Thompson, 1961, Modern Organizations
  21. Strawson, 1968, Studies in the Philosophy of Thought and Action
  22. Muller, 1967, Adlai Stevenson
  23. Kissinger, 1979, Letters, Economist, 272, 6

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Metadata

Authors
Thompson, D. F.
Affiliations
Princeton University (US)
Corresponding author
Thompson, Dennis F.
ORCID
Thompson, Dennis F.
Venue
American Political Science Review
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
1980-12
Volume
74
Issue
4
Pages
905-916
ISSN
  • 0003-0554 (ISSN-L)
  • 1537-5943
DOI
10.2307/1954312
OpenAlex
W2017558343
Cited by
651
References
48
Citations by year
2026: 71 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 51 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 12
FWCI
11.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 12296 d)
Locations
  • American Political Science Review (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Philosophical Ethics and Theory
  • Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Political Philosophy and Ethics
Keywords
moral responsibility, public officials, personal responsibility, collective responsibility, excuses, accountability, democratic accountability, causal criteria, state decision-making

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