Hi Blake,
Great post! I agree with you that the Flint, Michigan, public health crisis is an accurate depiction of administrative evil in action. Reed (2012) asserts that the ethical concept of administrative evil is based on the ideology that people with good intentions and who diligently attend to their work-related expectations can unintentionally engage in activities or processes that lead to significant harm to others, the environment, or both. As you have stated, the Michigan leaders had good intentions while deciding to switch to the Flint River as the most feasible interim water source for the residents for cost-saving and due to the financial doldrums at the time. However, their inactiveness to respond to solid complaints raised by the residents and other various agencies justifies their active participation in the crisis's escalation. Perceivably, the authorities had no intention of causing harm to the people; however, their gross failure in stewardship and responsibility resulted in massive poisoning and long-term health implications to the many people in the City. Overall then, the crisis perfectly illustrates the administrative evil in action. Your assertion that governors should appoint emergency managers independent from local jurisdiction is appropriate. It would have significantly improved how the overall response to the crisis was in its early stages.
Reference
Reed, G. (2012, May 28). Leading questions: Leadership, Ethics, and Administrative Evil. Leadership, 8 (2), 187–198. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715011429589
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Post 2
Hi Jeremy,
You are right! There was a complete failure of leadership and responsibility by the Michigan government and regulatory leaders, and the governor should be held to take responsibility for the actions and inactions that resulted in the Flint, Michigan, water quality crises. Civil accountability plays a significant role in the mitigation of such deadly preventable occurrences, and as is evident, most of the State, local, and other culpable individuals have already been charged (Bernstein, 2016). The latter includes former Governor Rick Snyder, who received double counts for willfully neglecting his duties and misdemeanor leading to a year imprisonment. Your contention that governors should be given the mandate to appoint emergency managers independent from the local jurisdiction will considerably improve the management and response to such crises before they escalate. Besides compensation, civil accountability, and fostering economic equality, the US government should also strengthen policies and regulations protecting consumer rights and safety to prevent the reoccurrence of such a crisis.
Reference
Bernstein, L. a. (2016, January 24). Flint’s water crisis reveals government failures at every level. The Washington Post . https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/flints-water-crisis-reveals-government-failures-at-every-level/2016/01/23/03705f0c-c11e-11e5-bcda-62a36b394160_story.html
