Understanding the moral myopia and ambiguity of post-employment conflicts of interest: comparing police to other public and private organizations

Abstract

While post-employment conflicts of interest (PECoI) carry important risks of integrity violations, empirical research is scarce. This paper provides insight into the meaning and the perceptions of PECoI in the Dutch (military) police compared to those in other public and private organizations, to draw lessons for the public management of ethics. The study combines document analysis with interviews (N = 32) and a quantitative vignette study (N = 75). We find that PECoI are a blind spot and ambiguous. Five (possible) manifestations of PECoI were identified, like the (mis)use of classified information for commercial purposes and of relations with former colleagues.