Can laws protect whistle-blowers? Results of a naturally occurring field experiment

Data collected over three time periods,from 1980 to 1992, show massive chan ges in the ways in which federal employees reported wrongdoing and the effe cts on them for having done so. Laws intended to encourage whistle-blowing seem to have two desired effects: to reduce the incidence of perceived wron gdoing and to increase the likelihood of whistle-blowing. However, two unin tended effects are also observed: perceived retaliation increased and whist le-blowers increasingly sought anonymity. The basic model predicting retali ation is essentially the same in the three time periods in which data were collected Implications for research, practice, and the design of future leg islation are discussed.