Rajeev K. Goel

Whistleblower Laws: Do they Curb Corruption?

Whistleblower laws are becoming important governance tools in both the public and private sectors. To examine the effectiveness of whistleblower laws and their awareness, Rajeev K. Goel, together with Michael A Nelson, has created a unique internet-based measure of awareness about whistleblower laws and provisions, focusing on the United States. Placing the analysis within the larger corruption literature, their findings show that greater whistleblower awareness results in more observed corruption. Internet awareness of whistleblower laws appears to be more effective at exposing corruption than the quantity and quality of whistleblower laws themselves.

Mr Goel is the author of two books: Economic Models of Technological Change: Theory and Application (Praeger 1999) and Global Efforts to Combat Smoking: An Economic Evaluation of Smoking Control Policies (Ashgate 2008). His research in public economics, economics of technological change and applied microeconomics has appeared in numerous academic outlets including the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Journal of Development Economics, Kyklos, Public Choice, Public Finance Review, European Journal of Political Economy, Research Policy, Economic Development and Cultural Change and Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics. A recent paper published in Public Choice is entitled, "Global Corruption and the Shadow Economy: Spatial Aspects" and examines the extent to which the two phenomena coexist.

Rajeev K. Goel (PhD University of Houston) is Professor of Economics at Illinois State University. He serves on the editorial boards of three journals and has held positions at the Indian Institute of Management, ZEW, Bank of Finland, Tata Energy Research Institute and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Mr Goel has taught classes in microeconomics, industrial organisation, mathematical economics and the economics of regulation.