The Role of Whistle-Blowing in Governing Well: Evidence From the Australian Public Sector

Abstract

The role of the whistle-blower in promoting good government is a troubling one. Commentators often argue both that whistle-blowing is a sign of deep failure within organizations and that whistleblowers inevitably experience reprisals and other negative consequences. This paper argues that this negative depiction of whistle-blowing is misleading. It is often drawn from a small number of prominent cases of whistle-blowing, which are noteworthy precisely because things have gone badly wrong.When the experiences of a wider range of public sector whistle-blowers, managers and case-handlers are explored, a more nuanced picture of whistle-blowing is presented. This paper presents evidence from ‘Whistling While They Work’, a study conducted across 304 public sector agencies in Australia. This evidence allows us to identify key factors that lead to good outcomes from whistleblowing and approaches that can make whistle-blowing a normal part of organizations governing well.