Systematic Review of Conflict of Interest Studies in Public Administration

Abstract

A conflict of interest is one of the most important issues in Public Administration. This occurs at a time when the finger of corruption always points to officials, and a conflict of interest can be the underlying cause of corruption among officials. The objective of this study is to propose rather comprehensive actions to manage conflict of interest in the public sector in terms of reviewing the existing studies and sources in this field. By investigating valid databases, 106 studies were found as such. In the analyzed studies of this research, prevention, confrontation, and punishment strategies in cultural, legal, and structural approaches with 21 effective actions for handling this phenomenon are delineated. The study finds that the conflict of interest phenomenon is subject to more critical attention as neo-liberalism is spreading in the world. A person drawn into a conflict of interest presumably overlooks public interest, hence it is advisable to avoid conflict of interest situations. While most of the reviewed studies focus on disclosure of conflict of interest situations, there are other effective actions to prevent this phenomenon. Researches are expected to propose a variety of penalties for officials and staff who decide while drawn into the conflict of interest situations.