Topic Guide: Conflicts of Interest

Managing conflict of interest in the public service. OECD. http://www.oecd.org/corruption/ethics/managingconflictofinterestinthepublicservice.htm  

The OECD has long been a leader and innovator in the area of public sector conflict of interest management, and this webpage is a hub connecting users to all their activities. It should be the first port-of-call for all those seeking to quickly get to grips with the subject. It provides recent comparative data on conflict of interest systems from a range of countries, outlines the work that OECD does on the topic and provides a range of guidelines, toolkits and analyses.  

Guidelines for managing conflicts of interest in the public service: OECD guidelines and country experiences. OECD, 2004. http://www.oecd.org/gov/ethics/48994419.pdf  

Essential reading for those who want to gain a comprehensive grounding in conflict of interest mitigation strategies, the OECD guidelines have three core objectives. Firstly, to provide a practical framework of reference to help governance and public organisations review and modernise existing policy solutions in line with good practice. Secondly, to promote a public service culture in which conflicts of interest are properly identified and resolved. Thirdly, to support partnerships between the public, private and non-profit sectors in identifying and managing conflict of interest situations. The guidelines set out four core principles for public officials to follow when dealing with conflict of interest situations in order to maintain trust in public institutions: (1) serving the public interest, (2) supporting transparency, (3) promoting individual responsibility and (4) creating an organisational culture that does not tolerate conflict of interest. The report highlights trends, approaches and models across all 30 OECD countries in a comparative overview that also presents examples of innovative and recent solutions. Eight country case studies (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal and the United States) give more details on the implementation of policies in national contexts and on key elements of legal and institutional frameworks.

See also: OECD Guidelines for Managing Conflict of Interest in the Public Service: Report on Implementation (OECD 2007). This document outlines the initial progress made and updates the guidelines to include new provisions on post-public employment and lobbying restrictions.  

Post-public employment: Good practices for preventing conflict of interest. OECD, 2010. http://www.keepeek.com/Digital...  

This OECD report from 2010 reviews the measures taken in OECD countries to avoid conflicts of interest when officials leave public office. It provides guidance to policy makers and managers on how to review and modernise rules, policies and practices to prevent and manage conflicts of interest. Key findings include that while, the vast majority of countries have established basic standards for preventing post-public employment conflict of interest, few have tailored these standards to address risk areas and professions such as regulators or public procurement officials. The report includes a detailed case study of Norway’s experience in developing and implementing post-public employment guidelines, and provides two practical appendixes which cover post-employment guidelines for politicians and civil servants separately.  

Revolving doors, accountability and transparency: Emerging regulatory concerns and policy solutions in the financial crisis. OECD, 2009. http://www.oecd.org/officialdo... 

This OECD report from 2009 provides an excellent introduction into the topic of the revolving door. While its particular focus is on the financial sector (including banking, insurance and securities) following the 2008 financial crisis, many of the fundamental principles are more widely applicable to the broader public sector. Section 1 is of particular interest, as it provides a comprehensive evaluation of how the revolving door undermines the public interest, lists best practices and the OECD framework, and sets out principles for managing the post-public employment conflict of interest. The report also examines the pre-employment aspects of the revolving door, and reviews frameworks (for example, rules, procedures and policies) in place for fostering integrity, avoiding conflict of interest and maintaining trust, as well as highlighting lessons learned in addressing existing and emerging concerns.