Abstract
This article analyzes ethics in the governance of public universities across diverse geographical contexts. Through a systematic review conducted in accordance with the PRISMA protocol, 318 initial records were identified, of which 20 studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings show that ethics is conceived not only as a formal normative framework, but also as a cultural and institutional support that articulates leadership, transparency, accountability, and social responsibility within university governance models. However, a significant dissonance persists between strategic discourses and their practical implementation in decision-making and administrative processes. It is concluded that ethics constitutes a structural axis of legitimacy and organizational coherence, whose effective institutionalization requires its consistent materialization in university governance practices.
References
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[2] B. M. Mulili, “Corporate governance in Kenya’s public universities,” Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 342–357, 2014. doi: 10.1108/JARHE-02-2013-0008.
[3] R. Gollagari, B. B. Beyene, and S. S. Mishra, “Ethical leadership, good governance and employee commitment: Testing a moderated mediation model in public universities of Ethiopia,” Journal of Public Affairs, vol. 22, p. e2742, 2022. doi: 10.1002/pa.2742.
[4] M. E. Hossain and M. J. Alam, “Ethics in good governance: A study in the context of the administration of public universities in Bangladesh,” 2025.
[5] R. Delgado-Alemany, M. A. Revilla-Camacho, and A. Blanco-González, “Is a university committed to ethics perceived as an honest, appropriate and properly managed organization?,” Journal of Management and Business Education, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 12–32, 2021. doi: 10.35564/jmbe.2021.0001.
[6] K. Ayad and M. Elhachloufi, “Vers une gouvernance éthique de l’enseignement supérieur au Maroc,” Revue Française d’Economie et de Gestion, vol. 4, no. 3, 2023. Available: https://www.revuefreg.fr/index.php/home/article/view/1051.
[7] L. Araya-Castillo, “Gobernanza universitaria desde una visión ética en Latinoamérica,” Cienciamatria. Revista Interdisciplinaria de Humanidades, Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología, vol. 10, no. 19, pp. 2–5, 2024. doi: 10.35381/cm.v10i19.1352.
[8] K. A. Bakare, “University administration in Nigeria: history, ethics and corporate governance,” Journal of Advanced Sociology, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1–16, 2019. doi: 10.47941/jep.629.
[9] O. N. Jacob, H. F. Josiah, and A. T. Solomon, “Effects of corruption on public universities administration in Nigeria,” Emerging Journal of Education Discoveries and Lifelong Learning, vol. 2, no. 7, pp. 5–18, 2021. doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/B2DSR.
[10] N. Evans, I. Buljan, E. Valenti, L. Bouter, A. Marušić, R. de Vries, and G. Widdershoven, “Stakeholders’ experiences of research integrity support in universities: A qualitative study in three European countries,” Science and Engineering Ethics, vol. 28, no. 5, p. 43, 2022. doi: 10.1007/s11948-022-00390-5.
[11] G. Miotto, F. Díez Martín, and C. Del Castillo Feito, “Governance, ethics and accountability in universities strategic plans,” Ramon Llull Journal of Applied Ethics, vol. 1, no. 11, pp. 209–235, 2021. Available: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14342/447.
[12] T. A. White and M. Mua, “The mandatory ethics and governance courses in Fiji’s universities: Institutional ecologies, teaching philosophies and the ethical future of tertiary education in the Pacific,” Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, pp. 38–150, 2022. doi: 10.1080/1360080X.2022.2036418.
[13] B. Bergsteedt and A. du Plessis, “Reimagining transformation through strategic thinking and accountable governance in the South African public university system,” Higher Education, pp. 1–19, 2025.
[14] J. F. Gómez Cárdenas, R. Gómez Álvarez, A. Garza Elizondo, T. López Chacón, and H. M. Martínez Ruiz, “Ética, transparencia y las finanzas en las universidades públicas estatales en México,” Educateconciencia, vol. 31, no. 39, pp. 52–79, 2023. doi: 10.58299/edu.v31i39.685.
[15] N. J. Ogunode, E. O. Ayeni, and J. Ogwuche, “Roles of tertiary institutions in curbing corruption in Nigeria,” International Journal of Learning Development and Innovation, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 32–44, 2024. doi: 10.59568/IJLDI-2024-007.
[16] E. S. Dove and C. Douglas, “Ethics governance in Scottish universities: how can we do better? A qualitative study,” Research Ethics, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 166–198, 2023. doi: 10.1177/17470161221147801.
[17] B. Atanaw, A. B. Estifanos, and H. G. Negash, “How university governance affects education service quality: insights from Ethiopian public universities,” Frontiers in Education, vol. 9, p. 1447357, 2025. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1447357.
[18] D. Li, “Ethical governance in Chinese universities: an overview of research ethics committees,” Ethics & Behavior, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 1–12, 2025. doi: 10.1080/10508422.2024.2301764.
[19] M. Sudarma, P. P. Wulandari, N. Novianti, and Q. N. Islami, “Soft governance and ethical behavior in public universities: the role of mindfulness and managerial support in internal auditing,” Cogent Social Sciences, vol. 12, no. 1, p. 2606961, 2026. doi: 10.1080/23311886.2025.2606961.
[20] J. Christopher, “Governance paradigms of public universities: An international comparative study,” Tertiary Education and Management, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 335–351, 2012. doi: 10.1080/13583883.2012.724705.
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