Why Ethics Reforms?

In the past decade, the public has become increasingly sensitive to ethics violations with regard to both the private and public sectors. In several democracies the public has become increasingly displeased by what it considers patent ethics violations, for example corruption, and misconduct.  Citizens’ dissatisfaction with the functioning of political regimes has quickly translated into falling levels of satisfaction with democracy, levels of trust in government, and, in some cases, increasing popularity in protest parties and protest politics.

In an attempt to stymie these trends and to reconstruct citizens’ trust in the performance of the political system and the public sector, legislators, administrators and bureaucrats understand the need for the adoption of ethics reforms to serve both an internal and external function.  Internally, the enforcement of an ethics regime is intended to improve the ethical standards and performance of public officials.  Externally, it is intended to build and regain public confidence.