In a democratic society, the common interest is realised by granting efficient public services, ensuring access to fundamental rights for all people and respecting the principle of impartiality. In this context, a conflict of interests occurs when ‘secondary’ interests – often private and personal, also connected with specific groups – threaten the pursuit of the collective ones.

When there is corruption, there is usually a hyper-privatisation of the common good: that is, there is corruption when someone deliberately chooses to pursue their own interests to the detriment of the collective, damaging the common good and reducing the possibility for all to achieve well-being. 

Conflict of interests is hard to recognise. That is why in Public Administration there are many laws, rules and procedures that aim to prevent it, by determining how a public servant should behave in a possible situation of conflict of interests. It is a matter of public ethics.

In our private sphere, instead, it is the culture of integrity that can guide us to recognise and manage a situation like this, which every one of us might face at least once in a lifetime. When this is the case, we are required to consider the roles, responsibilities, behaviours, and relationships of the persons involved. It is only when we take into account all of these aspects, that we can make the right decision, i.e. that we can avoid harming the collective good while pursuing our personal interest.