Trust, legislatures and codes

Ethical conduct is a key factor affecting the trust of civil servants and the public in members of legislatures (parliaments) and hence the legislatures. This paper reports on investigations to develop Benchmarks for Codes of Conduct for legislators. The research included a survey of Commonwealth of Nations legislatures (i.e. legislatures of UK and former and current colonial, national, sub-national and territory jurisdictions) and interviews with legislators and senior staff of legislatures. The research identified factors influencing trust as affected by ethical behaviour within legislatures. More generally, the paper identifies special features of education and training desirable to enhance the knowledge and skills of legislators as members of an occupational group with unique characteristics. The paper concludes with Benchmarks for Codes of Conduct for legislators and suggests directions for further research into enhancing ethical conduct by legislators including compliance with codes of conduct and evaluation of the effectiveness of enhancement measures.