Work and integrity:

the crisis and promise of professionalism

in America

William M. Sullivan

Work and Integrity is a timely resource that examines the crisis as well as the promise of professionalism in contemporary society. This vital book argues for the importance of a new civic professionalism that reflects the ideals of democracy and public service in our ever more complex economic environment. A publication of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Work and Integrity explores the most current thinking on the various (and often conflicting) ways in which the concept of professional work is understood. Using examples from the United States and Europe, the author describes how the professions evolved from a limited kind of genteel occupation into one of the most widely emulated and sought-after models of work. The book also explores the rise of complex institutions of industrial and postindustrial society, especially the university and the bureaucratic structures of business, government, health care, and education.

Work and Integrity draws on The Carnegie Foundation's comparative study of professional education in medicine, nursing, law, engineering, and the preparation of the clergy. The book explores the relation between the theory and practice and the technical and moral aspects of professional training and examines the key issues and controversies about professionalism from an historical perspective and from the analysis of contemporary scholarly debates. In conclusion, the book proposes a new model for professionalism which aims at humanizing modern work and improving the equity and quality of contemporary life.

This important book offers a key resource for educators of professionals and makes a powerful argument for renewing the social contract between the professions and the wider public they serve--an argument that will resonate across a broad spectrum of readers, including professionals, academics, and policy makers.