Determinants of whistleblowing intention : evidence from the South Korean government

Chang, Y; Wilding, MA; Shin, M

Abstract

In 2001, the South Korean government passed the Anti-Corruption Act, which provides whistleblower protection in the public sector. The system of protections and rewards was strengthened in 2011 by the Act on the Protection of Public Interest Whistleblowers. Although these laws ensure immunity—and even financial incentives—for whistleblowers, whistleblowing is still not a straightforward task. Based on a survey of 5706 public officials in central government, this study examines how a range of factors influence whistleblowing intention: attitude; knowledge; colleague support; organizational support; and protection against retaliation. A number of demographic variables, relating to gender; marital status; length of tenure; duty; and position type are used as controls. The results of the ordered probit regression analysis show all of the independent variables to have a significant positive effect on whistleblowing intention. However, colleague support and organizational support have the biggest effects, while perceived protection against retaliation has the smallest. This suggests that there is a need for future government efforts to build upon the available legal protections by focusing on creating a supportive culture among colleagues and in the organization more generally.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 9, 2017
• Online Publication Date: May 16, 2017
• Publication Date: May 16, 2017
• Deposit Date: May 2, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 16, 2018
• Journal: Public Performance & Management Review
• Print ISSN: 1530-9576
• Electronic ISSN: 1557-9271
• Publisher: Routledge
• Volume: 40
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 676-700
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2017.1318761
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2017.1318761
• Related Public URLs: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/mpmr20/current