Ethics and Efficiency of Communication during COVID-19 Pandemic; Role of Public Administration Digitalization

Abstract

In the age of technology, communication seems to be much easier for public institutions. Citizens' access to the necessary information is much easier, by accessing official websites or by e-mail. The pandemic has limited people's access to interaction with public institutions, which has increased the need to use online digital tools. Thus, the process of digitalization and the process of modernization of the public administration were hastened. This has led to the emergence of new types of social behaviours that have had negative effects on the use of digital tools by public entities. Until now, several approaches to public administration ethics have existed, and they have mostly centered on the civil servant's behaviour in his interaction with citizens and his respect for the workplace. As the online environment has become a necessity for public services in the digital age, ethics in the public system meets new challenges. Today, there is a need for a modernized digital system for civil servants to use. It should facilitate applicants' access to information and protect the confidentiality of certain information in an ethical and professional manner for all parties involved, in order to reduce misinformation. Misinformation in a pandemic can have serious consequences: it can lead to ignoring official health advice and risky behaviour, or it can have a negative impact on our democratic institutions and societies, as well as on the economic and financial situation. Therefore, there is a need for new protection measures, that can protect people, not only for medical safety in a public institution, but for ethic means in the online environment.