Topic Guide: Codes of Conduct

Codes of conduct for public officials and members of government. Martini, M., 2011. Available on request from [email protected]  

As shown here, codes of conduct for civil servants and the executive branch of government have somewhat different objectives and thus require different provisions. While codes of conduct for public officials typically address general principles of ethics, conflicts of interest, gifts and favours, outside activities and use of state property, codes of conduct for members of government usually include additional provisions on lobbying, and on the relationship between ministers and public officials, parliament and other members of the government. The answer examines countries commonly held to have established good codes of conduct: UK, Canada, the USA and Germany.  

The effectiveness of codes of conduct for parliamentarians. Martini, M., 2012. http://www.transparency.org/wh...  

Focusing on parliamentary codes of conduct, this Helpdesk answer firstly surveys the literature on the efficacy such codes. It finds that on top of establishing clear behavioural norms for MPs, the existence of a code is perceived by parliamentarians themselves as helpful as it can “protect” them when dealing with constituents and local parties, as well as increasing scrutiny both inside and outside the house. Secondly, the answer evaluates best practices in parliamentary codes of conduct and establishes that effectives depends on a range of factors including a process of consultation and discussion prior to the enactment of the code, the existence of an active civil society and free media, a functioning integrity system, an effective protection mechanism for whistleblowers and on parliamentarians’ commitment.  

Codes of conduct for local governments. Chêne, M., 2013.  http://www.transparency.org/wh...   

This Helpdesk answer provides guidelines on the specific corruption challenges of local government bodies, and demonstrates how to adopt codes of conduct to address misconduct. It notes that while, in principle, local officials must adhere to the same standards of conduct as other public officials, there are unique vulnerabilities at the local level which require additional attention. As citizens and public officials more frequently come into close and direct contact at the local level, local officials have more opportunities to develop corrupt networks, favouritism, nepotism, patronage and other forms of unethical behaviour. Accordingly, there are several operational areas where a well-developed code of conduct can greatly enhance professional performance in the areas of procurement, human resource management and customer service. The answer also provides several sample local government codes of conduct.              

Implementing codes of conduct in public institutions. Lindner, S., 2014. http://www.transparency.org/wh...  

This paper addresses the common challenge of going beyond the legal establishment of a code of conduct to investigate how to successfully implement the codes into public sector bodies. Successful implementation is found to rely on: (1) a participatory development process, (2) strong leadership, (3) embedding the code into a wider integrity management framework, (4) structures and mechanisms for guidance, (5) monitoring, (6) review and enforcement, (7) clear dissemination and capacity building plans and (8) creating incentives for compliance. The answer also briefly considers tools to assess the relative degree of implementation, finding that, while the literature is limited, some governments have developed their own self-assessment toolkits which utilise checklists and internal audits.