UPDATED IN MARCH 2013 to include the historic $104-million Bradley Birkenfeld whistleblower case and more! From the nation’s leading whistleblower attorney, comes the third edition of the first-ever consumer guide to whistleblowing. In The Whistleblower’s Handbook, Stephen Martin Kohn explains nearly all federal and state laws regarding whistleblowing. In the step-by-step bulk of the book, he also presents twenty-one rules for whistleblowers.
This book analyzes whistleblowing worldwide publicly known cases from Belguim, Brazil, Finland, Japan and The Philippines to ascertain factors that make for effective whistleblowing. The work concludes that external whistleblowing, extensive mass media coverage, and strong evidence are essential components of effective whistleblowing.
Whistleblower protection is vital for: safeguarding public interest; promoting accountability and integrity in public and private institutions; and encouraging reporting of misconduct, fraud and corruption. This report analyses whistleblower protection standards in the public and private sectors.
This is a research-based book on whistle-blowing in organizations. The three noted authors describe studies on this important topic and the implications of the research and theory for organizational behavior, managerial practice, and public policy. In the past few years there have been critical developments, including corporate scandals, which
The product of one of the world's most comprehensive research projects on whistleblowing, evidence from over 8,000 public servants in over 100 federal, state and local government agencies shows that whistleblowers can and do survive, and that often their role is highly valued. Public sector managers face significant challenges in better managing and protecting whistleblowers. There is great variation between the many public agencies making the effort, and the many agencies where the outcomes - for managers and whistleblowers alike - are still likely to be grim. This book is compulsory reading for all public sector managers who wish to turn this negative trend around, and for anyone interested in public accountability generally.
In this study the authors examine the profound consequences for individuals, organizations, and society at large of the phenomenon known as whistle-blowing. They examine several common views of the whistle-blower - from disloyal rat to courageous hero - and reveal how individuals reach the often difficult decision to turn in their companies. With case examples, such as Watergate, the Challenger disaster, and product liability lawsuits, they show executives how to deal with whistle-blowing and its consequences. For those contemplating turning in their companies, the authors offer real-life examples of the implications, both practical and legal.
"A new roadmap for understanding the diverse perspectives and disparate bodies of law involved in any legal regime aimed at encouraging people in organisations to speak up about wrongdoing, making it possible for them to do so, and supporting and protecting them when they do. More than just a rich and readable history of whistleblowing laws, in the USA and around the world. Steeped in Robert Vaughn's personal experience as a lawyer and researcher over a 40 year period, this book stands to help solve some of the greatest conundrums in this vital area of legal regulation - one of the most complex in modern society, but one of the most crucial to integrity, accountability and organisational justice in all institutions. Compulsory reading for all policymakers, regulators, corporate leaders, researchers and activists engaged in improvement and implementation of public interest whistleblowing laws." - A.J. Brown, Griffith University and Transparency International Australia "Unlike other books on whistleblowing that simply describe and analyze whistleblowing laws, Robert Vaughn's new book provides an in-depth and unique historical account of the roots of the whistleblowing movement in such disparate events as the Mai Lai massacre, the civil rights movement, and the experiments of Stanley Milgrim. As important, he then uses that history to illuminate the competing perspectives and pressures that influenced the passage and interpretation of modern whistleblower laws. Vaughn provides a first-rate account of the varied and complex reasons for the successes and failures of these laws during the last forty years." - Richard Moberly, University of Nebraska College of Law, US Drawing on literature from several disciplines, this enlightening book examines the history of whistleblower laws throughout the world and provides an analytical structure for the most common debates about the nature of such laws and their potential successes and failures. The author explores the relationship between the actions of whistleblowers and the character of laws protecting them, as well as their administration and enforcement. The book considers the role of civil society groups in the successes of whistleblower laws and how current controversies reflect issues attached to these laws over half a century. This study contains perspectives from which successes and failures can be evaluated and will appeal to policy makers, scholars, whistleblower advocacy and other civil society groups, as well as anyone with a general interest in the subject.
"You read with a rising sense of despair and outrage, and you finish it as if awakening from a nightmare only Kafka could have conceived."--Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, New York Times David Baltimore won the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1975. Known as a wunderkind in the field of immunology, he rose quickly through the ranks of the scientific community to become the president of the distinguished Rockefeller University. Less than a year and a half later, Baltimore resigned from his presidency, citing the personal toll of fighting a long battle over an allegedly fraudulent paper he had collaborated on in 1986 while at MIT. From the beginning, the Baltimore case provided a moveable feast for those eager to hold science more accountable to the public that subsidizes its research. Did Baltimore stonewall a legitimate government inquiry? Or was he the victim of witch hunters? The Baltimore Case tells the complete story of this complex affair, reminding us how important the issues of government oversight and scientific integrity have become in a culture in which increasingly complicated technology widens the divide between scientists and society.
From Erin Brockovich to Enron, whistleblowers who “challenge abuses of power that betray the public trust” have proven to be an unfortunate necessity in modern business culture. Their efforts to report crimes, fraud, and dangers to public health and safety have saved millions of lives and billions of dollars of shareholder value – and had we heeded the warnings of whistleblowers, perhaps disasters such as the Bernie Madoff scandal and the Lehman Brothers meltdown could have been averted. Recent federal legislation in finance and health reform have cemented legal protections and mechanisms for whistleblowing. This book provides a thorough guide and history to the whistleblower's legal rights. The ultimate survival guide, it provides advice on getting help and finding allies, warns that retaliation is often the reward for "committing the truth" and shows how to weather the storm. With extensive legal texts, sample letters, resources, and information on upcoming whistleblower reforms, this is the ultimate source on the subject.
This book adopts a cross-jurisdictional perspective to consider contemporary corporate whistleblowing issues from an ethical theoretical perspective, regulatory perspective, and practical perspective. It includes in particular arguments in favour of and against the adoption of financial incentive schemes for whistleblowers, as well as the potential implications of adopting such schemes. This approach provides a valuable opportunity for comparison from a law reform perspective. The book brings together authors from various jurisdictions – Canada, Australia, and the USA – who, through their exposure to this area of law, be it as practitioners, regulators, or academics, offer valuable and interesting insights on the emerging and topical area of corporate whistleblowing generally, and whistleblowing rewards in particular. These three jurisdictions were selected on the basis of their reform-oriented stance on corporate whistleblowing and/or implementation of financial incentives for whistleblowing, creating an opportunity to assess contemporary regulatory structures and in particular how incentives measures could interact with corporate whistleblowing regulatory frameworks, and how they could contribute to improved governance. The reasons for the rejection of the notion of financial incentives in the United Kingdom are also reviewed, in order to provide a comparative overview. The book provides useful guidance for those who may be affected by the implementation of corporate whistleblowing schemes, including for reward, whether as regulators, practitioners, company directors, or whistle blowers.
