An audience member at GFOA’s 2023 annual conference asked a provocative question: “Has technology made the GFOA Code of Ethics obsolete?” The short answer is no, but there’s also a longer and more interesting answer. It’s true that technology has presented important challenges to living the GFOA Code of Ethics—but we don’t believe this makes the code obsolete. Its underlying goal is to help public finance officers enhance their reputation for trustworthiness, which it does by encouraging positive, values-based decision-making. The code is not a rule-based document of don’ts, listing what public finance should not do. Trustworthiness is foundational to a democratic system of government, and it can’t be overridden by technology. That being said, how do the values expressed in the GFOA code (gfoa.org/ethics) apply to developments faced by public finance officers, in light of technological innovations?

• Publication date: February 2024
• Author: Shayne Kavanagh