Rule of morality vs. rule of law? An exploratory study of civil servant values in China and the Netherlands

This article assesses whether civil servant values in China and the Netherlands reflect different administrative traditions (i.e., rule of morality vs. rule of law). The question is highly relevant because both countries have recently undergone reform and modernization, and their mutual dealings and interactions have increased and gained importance. A pilot survey and a content analysis of codes of conduct were used to establish a value set that was tested in an exploratory survey of Chinese (n = 68) and Dutch (n = 45) civil servants. The results revealed that value preferences reflected administrative traditions less clearly than expected, and values associated with the rule of law tradition were in some instances more important for Chinese than for Dutch respondents. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are offered.