Rules, principles, policies, standards and guidelines: do we need them?

Abstract

The paper argues against a need for rules, etc., to the extent that they are attempts to control events by means of a framework set up beforehand. It suggests that they are not needed if people are already acting with integrity, and that, at the very least, they are unhelpful if people are not. At worst, they are a stultifying barrier against getting anything done, they facilitate the evasion of responsibility, and they provide justifications for power games. The paper describes two examples illustrating these points.