Public Integrity In The Interwar Institutional Architecture: A Glimpse Into Romanian Legal Provisions Regarding Conflict Of Interest And Incompatibility Of Offices In Public Administration

The paper examines the evolution of public integrity within the Romanian institutional architecture during the interwar period, focusing on the legal framework governing conflicts of interest and the incompatibility of offices. While “integrity” had not yet emerged as a formal conceptual pillar, its underlying principles were progressively embedded into administrative law as a response to the persistent practice of “accumulation” of public offices. Tracing the transition from pre-modern traditions where public roles often served as vehicles for personal enrichment to a modernized system centered on the “public interest”, the research focuses on the shifting regulations for various categories of appointed and elected officials during the era of administrative unification. By employing a methodological approach grounded in the history of administration and public institutions, the paper also addresses the introduction of nascent interest declarations, administrative sanctions, and stricter rules aimed at professionalizing the bureaucratic body. Ultimately, the analysis focuses on the structural tension between modernization efforts and the resilience of traditional clientelist practices.