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

20 Managing Conflict of InterestBy the early 1800s, standards of governance were still a longway from being considered transparent and clean. Further advancestook place in the 19th century, in large part as a result of the followingfactors:• The extension of the vote to all males, which created a strongerconstituency for honest and effective government; 6• The influence of political philosophers like Adam Smith,Tom Paine, J. S. Mill, and Jeremy Bentham, who placedemphasis on the limits and efficiency of government;• The growth, partly through the revival of religious belief, ofso-called Victorian values—with their emphasis on honesty,duty, and hard work;• Reforming political leaders, especially four-time PrimeMinister William Gladstone;• The creation of a professional civil service appointed throughcompetitive examination following the Northcote-Trevelyanreport in 1854;• The spread of education, making people more politicallyaware and providing the basis for a competent civilservice;• The passing of legislation aimed at curbing corrupt practicesin elections (including the introduction of the secret ballot)and in other areas of public life; and• The establishment of an independent National Audit Officereporting directly to Parliament.By the early 20th century, public life in Britain was relatively ethical.The control mechanisms that had developed over the previous200 years, plus a supportive culture, ensured that the misuse of publicposition for personal or party gain became rather rare. There werea few high-profile scandals such as Prime Minister Lloyd-George’saward of peerages (and therefore membership in the House ofLords) to his cronies as a reward for financial support—and this ledin 1925 to legislation outlawing such behavior. Probably the mostpersistent abuse of power was at the local level—in the zoning ofland for development and the award of contracts.6Women did not get the right to vote until 1916.ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific