Open government is a culture of governance that aims to transform how the public administration works and interacts with its citizens. A key element of open government is its capacity to engage citizens and stakeholders to include their perspectives and insights and to promote co-operation in policy design and implementation. Stakeholder participation increases government accountability; broadens citizens’ empowerment and political influence; builds civic capacity; improves the evidence base for policymaking; reduces implementation costs; builds support and understanding of the need for change and fosters networks of innovation in policymaking and service delivery (OECD, 2020).

Preventing and managing conflicts of interest in the public sector is crucial to help governments strengthen and enhance public integrity. Left undetected or inappropriately managed, they can undermine the integrity of public officials, decisions, agencies and governments. If they are left unresolved, they can lead to corruption, as the private interests of public officials may improperly influence the decision-making process, and ultimately allow to be captured by private interests.

Interest groups can provide governments with valuable information about various public policies and regulations in place or under consideration. Nonetheless, experience shows that without the necessary safeguards, the abuse of lobbying practices – such as the monopoly of influence by special interest groups, undue influence through covert or deceptive evidence, or the manipulation of public opinion – can result in decisions on essential public policies that have hidden harmful impacts. Ultimately, the result can be public dissatisfaction with public institutions and democratic processes.

Financial contributions allow individuals and entities to support candidates and political parties running for election and to represent their ideas and interests. However, if the financing of political parties and electoral campaigns is not adequately regulated, it may become an instrument for undue influence and policy capture. Ensuring transparency in the financing of political parties and electoral campaigns is therefore crucial to preventing undue influence and helping governments to strengthen and enhance public integrity.

Modern societies require stability and a clear system for resolving conflicts both within a community and between people and the state. The rule of law is one of the foundations of democratic governance, ensuring that the same rules, standards, and principles apply to all individuals and organisations, including the government itself. The rule of law requires that everyone is treated equally in accordance with the law and receives fair treatment from independent and impartial courts (Venice Commission, 2011). The legal culture is enshrined in laws, codes, statues, traditions, rulings procedures and international agreements. Strengthening the rule of law is an essential prerequisite for ensuring the effective provision of public goods and services, for promoting economic development, maintaining peace and order, and ensuring accountability in the case of integrity breaches and corruption.

A more interconnected world economy means that individual countries’ policies can have spill over effects, or impacts other countries and the global commons. The transmission channels for such transboundary impacts are numerous and complex, including financial flows, imports and exports of goods and services, the migration of people, transfers of knowledge or carbon emissions, to name a few. The challenge is that when countries focus solely on domestic interests, their actions might have a negative impact on other countries and these effects in turn might have a negative impact on their own society, environment and domestic economy. This is why policy coherence has become crucial to policy-making in the current global context.