Does legitimacy matter in whistleblowing intentions?
International Journal of Law and Management
ISSN: 1754-243X
Article publication date: 12 March 2018
Issue publication date: 12 March 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to examine the role of legitimacy in forming whistleblowing behavior in Ugandan procuring and disposing entities (PDEs).
Design/methodology/approach
This study has adopted both a quantitative and qualitative cross-sectional research design to collect data from a sample of 97 out of the population of 129 PDEs in Kampala, which are regulated by the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority.
Findings
This paper finds that improvement in the perception of public servants about the appropriateness of the Whistleblowers Act and its enforcers can increase on the reporting of unethical practices in public procurement.
Research limitations/implications
This study has used a cross-sectional survey data. The causal relationships between variables are possibly obscured; as data from all participants are collected at the same point of time, perceptions go on changing over time. Therefore, further studies should use a longitudinal approach. Second, there are no constructs for legitimacy in public procurement and those from law are domesticated.
Practical implications
There should be a promotion of legitimacy of the Whistleblowers Act and the enforcement agencies of the Act. The government should devise means for the public servants to have an obligation to obey the holders of authority, to trust and have confidence in them and to enforce the Whistleblowers Act in an ethical and normative framework.
Originality/value
This study reveals the whistleblowing intentions and behavior of public servants in PDEs. This study would help the Government of Uganda to make the Whistleblowing Act legitimate and its enforcers to increase on the reporting of unethical practices in public procurement.
Keywords
Citation
Mbago, M., Mpeera Ntayi, J. and Mutebi, H. (2018), "Does legitimacy matter in whistleblowing intentions?", International Journal of Law and Management, Vol. 60 No. 2, pp. 627-645. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLMA-02-2017-0017
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited