Ethical Leadership and Governance Quality: Exploring Public Trust and Citizen Participation in Cambodian District Administration

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37251/jske.v7i3.2843

Keywords:

Cambodia, District Administration, Ethical Leadership, Good Governance, Public Sector

Abstract

Purpose of the study: This study aimed to develop an ethical leadership model for Cambodian district administration and to determine how ethical leadership characteristics inspire and sustain good governance, particularly in relation to honesty, concern for citizens, participation, accountability, transparency, the rule of law, and administrative competence.

Methodology: A qualitative case study design was used. Purposive sampling was used to select 25 district administration officials (≥5 years’ service). Data were collected through face-to-face, open-ended interviews (audio-recorded using a digital audio cassette recorder) and document review. The interview guide was adapted from the Ethical Leadership Scale. Khmer transcripts were thematically analyzed using constant comparison and two-cycle coding.

Main Findings: Key themes were honesty, concern for people, ethics infrastructure, ethics training, citizen participation, access to information, transparency, accountability, rule of law, competency, and autonomy. Most participants perceived leaders as dishonest (88%) and unconcerned with public interest (80%). All participants emphasized ethics infrastructure, information access, transparency, accountability, and the rule of law (100%). Competency was viewed positively (88%). Ethics training (32%) and autonomy (16%) appeared less frequently but were still identified as important enabling factors.

Novelty/Originality of this study: This study contributes to social science literature by examining ethical leadership as a social mechanism that shapes citizen trust, participation, institutional legitimacy, and governance quality within Cambodian district administration. By integrating leadership theory, governance theory, and social trust perspectives, the study provides a contextual understanding of how ethical leadership influences state–society relationships in a developing-country setting.

Author Biographies

  • Sarom Mok, Royal University of Phnom Penh

    Royal University of Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

  • Sereyrath Em, University of Cambodia

    Dr. Sereyrath Em is a Cambodian government teacher of English with a higher education degree, a university lecturer, and an educational researcher with 20 years of experience in teaching, instructing, and lecturing. In addition, he holds three master’s degrees: an MA in TESOL, an MA in Education, and an MBA, and he holds two doctoral degrees: a PhD in Educational Science and a PhD in Educational Administration. Moreover, he is also working hard toward his third PhD in Cooperative Education at Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand. Besides, he serves as an editor at the Cambodian Journal of Educational Research (CJER) and is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Cambodian Journal of Educational and Social Sciences (CJESS). Additionally, he is also an editor for Frontiers in Education and Psychology, where he has edited 16 articles and is editing five more articles. Likewise, he is also an editor for IGI Global, where he is editing two edited books entitled “Cultural and Political Impacts on Educational Leadership in ASEAN” and “Student Enrollment and Retention Strategies to Reduce Dropout in Higher Education.” Noticeably, he also serves as a reviewer for many other well-known journals and publishers, such as Cogent Education, MDPI, Taylor & Francis, Springer Nature, and Palgrave Macmillan, among other Scopus-indexed outlets. So far, he has published around 100 scholarly pieces in highly reputable journals and publishers. In January 2026, he was accepted to pursue a Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) at Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia (PUC), Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and has been taking the courses since then.

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Published

2026-05-31

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Vol. 7 No. 3 (2026): May

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How to Cite

[1]
S. Mok and S. Em, “Ethical Leadership and Governance Quality: Exploring Public Trust and Citizen Participation in Cambodian District Administration”, Jo. Soc. Know. Ed, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 346–362, May 2026, doi: 10.37251/jske.v7i3.2843.

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