This research studies forms of ethical reasoning employed by public administrators in the Russian Federation. Given that the Federation Civil Service is under transition, this research addresses three questions. First, how do non-elected local officials exercise discretion when confronted with ethical dilemmas. Second, what variables are associated with the exercise of alternative models of ethical reasoning among public administrators in emerging democracies. Finally, what are the organizational, demographic, attitudinal and contextual variables linked to the development of ethical standards among public administrators? To assess these questions, a sample of Russian civil servants are given a version of an instrument that has been used in the United States, in a wide variety of administrative contexts, to assess patterns of ethical reasoning.
