OECD Supports the Creation of Sound Ethics Infrastructure: OECD1 Targets Both the “Supply Side” and the “Demand Side” of Corruption

Abstract

OECD anti-corruption activity includes initiatives which address the problem from the “supply side”—the implementation of the Anti-Bribery Convention—as well from as the “demand side”—through work on public service ethics. The work of the OECD Public Management Committee (PUMA) on ethics and corruption prevention supports OECD Member countries in their efforts to improve their systems of governance and public sector management. Specifically, this work aims to help governments monitor the broader public service environment in order to maintain effective frameworks for promoting integrity and preventing corruption on the part of public officials. In OECD work on public sector ethics, corruption is seen as more than individual criminal actions, but rather the result of systemic failure and a management problem. This is manifested by low-quality legislation and by weak public institutions that do not enforce laws, and, even more, fail to provide adequate control, oversight, and transparency.