The Role of Codes of Ethics and the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest in the Fight Against Corruption
eral code of conduct is often accompanied by several codes for each profession : purchasing code , sales codes for sales and marketing , IT code for digital use , management charter , code for executives , etc . Different codes are marked by the peculiarities of each professional sector ( e . g ., bank codes for identity verification , food industry codes for product safety , respect for users in the administration , etc .). They are adapted to the diversity of missions and professions specific to each department and reflect , in each case , the specific dimension of the requirements of probity , integrity , impartiality , and prevention of conflicts of interest that are common to all .
Table 3 : Impacts of the ethical framework on the sources of corruption
High impacts Usual practices in some countries
Unlimited discretionary power and no counter-powers
Source : Hervé Boullanger
Low impacts Lack of policy implementation Insufficient force of laws
Lack of transparency Inadequate application instructions , Insufficient income of public control agents
Outdated and unclear procedures and instructions
Deliberate and cunning concealment of determined and unscrupulous accomplices
The ethical framework may be accompanied by guides or practical indications setting out , based on concrete cases , the dilemmas that stakeholders may find themselves in and providing answers to questions on how to behave , possible compromises , red lines that should not be crossed , or errors that should be avoided . When a new case arises , the structure ’ s deontologist is called upon to issue a recommendation .
“ Applying a standard to a particular case is an extraordinarily complex operation ... and it is not always clear that a particular case should be placed under a particular standard .” 10 For this reason , the codes attempt to resolve specific cases of risk situations in terms of confidentiality , impartiality , integrity , quality , or respect for the individual .
The codes and prevention of conflicts of interest are accompanied , when they function effectively , by procedures for periodic dialogue ( meetings led by the deontologist ) that allow the most sensitive concrete cases to be analyzed as
10 Ricoeur , Paul , Le Juste , éditions Esprit 2001 p . 217 et s
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