The importance of public integrity.

 Corruption is one of the most corrosive issues our societies face. It wastes public resources, widens inequalities, undermines the rule of law, and leads to inefficient allocations of scarce resources, eroding long-term competitiveness. This breeds discontent amongst citizens, fosters political polarization, and reduces trust in business and public institutions. Whilst there is broad international agreement on the need to fight corruption, addressing such a multi-faceted phenomenon in practice has proved difficult. Approaches that are merely based on rules, stricter compliance, and tougher enforcement are not sufficient as they do not tackle the root causes of corruption, including but not limited to poverty, weak institutions and governance systems, or societal norms permissive of corrupt practices. Meaningful change thus requires a comprehensive, whole-of society approach. All societies are based on shared norms and values that define what sort of behavior is considered acceptable and guide the actions of individuals. Whilst some norms and values are firmly established, others change over time. Waste separation and recycling or wearing a seatbelt, for example, have increased over the years in OECD countries as their societies became more aware of the importance of road safety and environment protection. This change was partly due to awareness-raising efforts pursued by governments toward the public. Similarly, the promotion of public integrity – defined by the OECD as shared ethical values, principles and norms for upholding and prioritizing the public interest over private interests2 – has increasingly been in the focus of public attention and can be a powerful means to reduce corruption in the long run.