Amidst Europe’s pushback on whistleblower laws, Theo Nyreröd, PhD, is one of the leading researchers exhorting their enforcement.
In contrast to the United States’ pioneering role in whistleblower protection, with cases resulting in rewards of millions of dollars, European initiatives are largely absent. In an article entitled “Myths and Numbers on Whistleblower Rewards,” Nyreröd delineates the reward programs extensively exercised in the U.S., all of which “appear unwelcome in Europe.” While awareness has heightened in recent years, financial awards for whistleblowers have yet to be materialized.
If the U.S. has repeatedly demonstrated the instrumental role of whistleblowers in combating corruption, what hinders Europe from following suit? In his article “Rewarding Whistleblowers to Fight Corruption?” Nyreröd puts forth two commonly voiced concerns permeating the continent: rewards promote false accusations and dissuade those with non-financial incentives. In his thesis, Nyreröd concedes that while whistleblowing appears as a “commercial transaction,” both of these concerns, however, are “overstated” as very few such cases have been reported in the United States. There is “no evidence” that an adverse effect has arisen. The benefits ultimately outweigh the risks.
European hesitation toward whistleblowers, Nyreröd theorizes, can instead be traced to deeply instilled cultural preconceptions. The qui tam provisions in the U.S. were originally derived from the United...
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