Managing Conflict of Interest - Organisation for Economic Co ...

Chapter 1Defining conflict ofinterest: General,legal, and institutionalframeworks and goodinternational practicesThere is growing consensus that managing conflict of interest(COI) is critical to curbing corruption. Thus, understanding what it isand what forces contribute to its occurrence is necessary to developingsound institutional and legal frameworks and good internationalpractices. COI has been identified as an indicator, a precursor, anda result of corruption if left unchecked. Apparent and potential conflictof interest can be as damaging as actual or real conflict. Whilethere is no universal definition for COI, most countries and jurisdictionsconcur that a conflict of interest occurs when public interests orassets are compromised by private interests. In this chapter, expertsfrom the academe and international organizations consider the historicalorigins and evolution of COI and grapple with the challengeto define it and appropriately adapt prevention and enforcementmechanisms to address it in various country contexts.Sir Tim Lankester, President of Corpus Christi College of OxfordUniversity, provides a comparative and historical perspective on theconcept of conflict of interest, analyzing how the forces of industrializationand democratization have shaped the norms and expectationsof public administration and politics in several developed anddeveloping countries (Britain, the United States, Russia, the People’sRepublic of China, India, and Singapore). His analysis reveals that,ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific