Civil Servants and Whistle-Blowing: Loyal Neutrality and/or Democratic Ideal?
This chapter, by a political philosopher, opens a preliminary investigation of the indirect and complex relationship between the politicisation of the civil service and the incidence of whistle-blowing civil servants. The principal question is whether politicisation generates stresses on the idea and self-image of a neutral and professional civil servant and whether this may be the cause of the paradoxical stance of affirming the traditional democratic role of the civil service by speaking up, while thereby breaking the role-boundaries of that same tradition. This is a complex and novel idea, and I attempt to lay bare some important aspects of this complexity. My hypothesis, which needs empirical research from social scientists, is that any trend to whistle-blowing civil servants may itself be symptomatic of politicisation.
Ten Years of Public Interest Disclosure Legislation in the UK: Are Whistleblowers Adequately Protected?
Purpose The purpose of this article is to assess the operation of the UK’s Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA 1998) during its first 10 years and to consider its implications for the whistleblowing process. Method The article sets the legislation into context by discussing the common law background. It then gives detailed consideration to the statutory provisions and how they have been interpreted by the courts and tribunals. Results In assessing the impact of the legislation’s approach to whistleblowing both in the UK and elsewhere, the author draws upon empirical research. Conclusion The author concludes that PIDA 1998 has not adequately protected whistleblowers and makes 12 recommendations for change. Despite the European Commission’s acknowledgement that whistleblowers can play a part in the fight against corruption, the author notes that common standards for their protection still seem a long way off.
Whistleblowing and Organizational Social Responsibility: A Global Assessment
Contents: Preface Introduction Developing research questions Developing the framework for an ethical assessment Possible legitimation of whistleblowing policies Screening whistleblowing policies Towards what legitimation of whistleblowing? References Index.