Increased mobility between the public and private sector – revolving door phenomenon – has raised public and governmental concerns of impropriety which can affect trust in public service. At the same time, it is also in the interest of the public and government to attract experienced and skilled workforce to serve the public interest. In this regard, conflict of interest situations should be appropriately and adequately identified and managed to ensure sound democratic governance. An excessively strict approach could result not only in bureaucratic inefficiency but also in discouraging the employment of potential skilled and competent workers in the public sector.

Fairness and impartiality are expected of public servants in fulfilling their fundamental mission to serve the public interest. Public officials’ conflicts of interest pose a threat to public trust. In this context, assuring transparency and accountability of public officials in their decision-making process is key to restoring trust in the government.

Lobbying is a fact of public life in all countries. It has the potential to promote democratic participation and can provide decision makers with valuable insights, as well as facilitate stakeholder access to public policy development and implementation. Yet, lobbying is often perceived as an opaque activity of dubious integrity, which may result in undue influence by special interests, unfair competition and regulatory capture at the expense of fair, impartial and effective policy making. There is evidence of an emerging consensus on the need for transparency. While by 2014 only 15 OECD countries have introduced lobbying regulations to this effect, there is a clear acceleration in this sense as 11 countries have done so in the last decade.

The protection of employees who disclose wrongdoing, in the context of their workplace (whistleblowers), is at the core of an organisation’s integrity framework. In governments, it is recognised as an essential element for safeguarding the public interest, promoting a culture of public accountability, and in many countries is proving crucial in the reporting of misconduct, fraud and corruption.