| Description |
Thirty years ago, reactions to Ralph Nader's proposal to encourage whistleblowing as a means to stem organizational wrongdoing ranged from lukewarm support to strong opposition. Today, Congress and state legislatures in the United States embrace whistleblowing as an important tool in the fight against misuse of public funds, abuse of power, and other types of wrongdoing. Indeed, recent corporate scandals and the events of September 11, 2001, have increased support for whistleblowing.
Whistleblowing has also gained advocates and acceptance as an organizational control strategy in other nations. The United Kingdom and the Australian states and territories were among the first governments to follow the U.S. lead in facilitating whistleblowing. Although whistleblowing laws enacted in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia have similar antecedents and objectives, legislative bodies in these countries have taken a variety of approaches to disclosures of wrongdoing. This article compares the statutes' provisions, assesses the relative likelihood of their effectiveness, and makes recommendations to maximize the impact of these legislative efforts. (Description for Source) |