Whistle blowers are a key component for the public to learn about what the government is up to, and a recent study in Public Administration found the best way to encourage government employees to do the right thing is to focus on the waste of tax dollars for the community when failing to report. 

In the article “The power of framing: The role of information provision in promoting whistleblowing,” 

three researchers exposed 716 civil servants in Italy to four different frames of whistleblowing –  the positive or negative results on their own psychological health and the positive or negative results on  taxes and the economy for the community. They also employed a fifth group with no discussion of the effects of whistleblowing, as a control. 

 They then provided a scenario where their bosses were not showing up to work, often spending the morning at a bar hanging out with friends. The participants were asked whether they would report the bad behavior.  

 They found that civil servants were more likely to blow the whistle when first reminded that not blowing the whistle costs taxpayers money and waste. The other messages, such as the effect on one’s own work health, or even the positive benefits on government efficiencies for whistleblowing, did not predict greater likelihood to report the bad behavior. 

 The takeaway? When dealing with potential whistleblowers, focus on the negative ramifications on government, wasted taxes, and other economic harm caused by keeping mum. Speak up, government employees, to create more efficient, cost-saving government! 

Posted: March 6, 2025
Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Brechner FOI Project, FOI, Government Transparency, open records laws