Accountability and Aspiration: An Insight Approach for Organizational Ethics

Abstract

In this thesis, I explain why civil society organizations working in international development need to find an ethics framework that addresses questions of accountability and aspirational goals. The thesis examines the ethics framework of Bernard Lonergan to determine if it can answer this challenge. The methodology is primarily literature review complemented by discussions of practical experiences arising from a particular CSO ethics program. An analysis of Lonergan’s framework that includes human understanding through insight and the 3-fold structure of the human good is explained and analyzed in term of existing sector challenges. The conclusion is that the Lonergan ethics framework has much to offer civil society organizations as they seek to find a sector-appropriate learning framework that will address the challenge for accountability and the need for aspirational goals.