Rather than focusing on values from the unique perspectives of particular policy issues, here we consider values relevant to the general question of how analysts should conduct themselves as professional givers of advice. Three values seem paramount: analytical integrity, responsibility to client, and adherence to one's personal conception of the good society. Conflicts among these values raise important ethical issues for analysts.
To understand better the nature of these values and the contexts in which they become important, we consider three conceptions of the appropriate role of the analyst. Each role gives priority to a different one of the three values, relegating the remaining two to secondary status. We can anticipate, therefore, that none of the three roles provides an appropriate ethical standard in its pure form in all circumstances. Our task will be to search for appropriate balance.