Any reform process (whether in a scandal and strife ridden government or one that is seeking to get a new start) should start with values - and keep coming back to them. The start of the process should involve the articulation of the values that the reform is intended to promote and those values should inform the rest of the reform. As we have long argued, those values should provide the core of the ethical standard setting, the principles informing the drafting and interpretation of the laws and a standard for judging the effectiveness of the institutional reforms.
Those values should also inform choices about detailed policies, procedures, and management systems. Do they advance or hinder the achievement of the values declared for the public institution or agency to be reformed?
