Despite evidence that government performs well in several domains, a narrative in western countries of its poor performance remains. Scholars sometimes refer to these persistent negative perceptions in the presence of countervailing evidence or without supporting evidence as anti-public sector bias. However, not all studies find evidence of this bias, indicating a factor is moderating the effect. To show that context matters, I explore a different type of context, perception of fairness of the organization's actions or decisions. I test in three studies whether an organization's actions or decisions being perceived as unfair causes citizens to be more likely to exhibit anti-public sector bias. Combining two policy theories, interest group theory and social construction framework, with a theory of justice rules and overall fairness, this dissertation develops a framework and tests several resulting propositions. This dissertation tests these propositions using three online survey experiments that manipulate the sector along with justice rules, distribution of benefits, distribution of burdens, and social construction. The first experiment tests this relationship by manipulating distribution of benefits and distribution of burdens. The second experiment further tests this relationship between fairness and anti-public sector bias by manipulating the social constructions/perceived deservingness of the target population. The third experiment manipulates the violation of a distributive justice rule, need. I ask each experiment respondent to evaluate the performance of the fictional organization. Then I test if the effect of sector on perceived performance (anti-public sector bias) differs between fair and unfair organizations.

The endless news reports of corruption scandals and unethical practices in the public sector have proven to be an ongoing issue affecting government organizations all over the world. The topic has garnered attention by numerous scholars who have undertaken studies to learn more about the factors leading to ethical and unethical behaviors amongst public servants. Public sector ethics plays an essential role in the field of public administration. Government employees must adhere to strict standards of ethical conduct as their jobs require them to serve the public interest. Ethical standards are vital to promoting values like transparency, accountability, trust, fairness, and honesty. But most important, moral principles can help individuals make sound decisions when confronted with ethical problems in the workplace. Individuals who engage in dishonest forms of behavior do so by greed, self-interest, and other factors. The negative effect is that the public loses its trust in government. The purpose of this research study is to analyze factors that may contribute to unethical behavior by public employees. We will also explore how ethical leadership, ethical climate, codes of conduct, and behavioral theories, are associated to ethics in the workplace. The examination will allow us to understand why public servants engage in corrupt and dishonest practices.