ABSTRACT
Legislation protecting whistleblowers is now in place in more than ten countries including the US, Australia, the U.K., South Korea, South Africa, New Zealand, Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, and Romania. Protecting whistleblowers is on the agenda of international government institutions such as the European Commission and international bodies such as the OECD. This suggests a growing perception by policymakers of whistleblower protection as a necessary mechanism for good governance at organizational level and for setting an equilibrium between organizational secrecy and the interests of communities. This chapter reviews some of the literature on the role of culture and nationality in whistle-blowing. It subsequently points at a number of "universals" with regard to whistleblowing and explains why we are witnessing a globalization of whistleblowing protection despite cultural differences. The chapter concludes with some ideas for future research that might inform practice.
