Sandra Charreire Petit published her paper “Ethical Whistleblowing between Theory and Practice: A French Perspective“, co-authored with Émilie Hennequin, in the special issue L’alerte éthique au service de l’intérêt public : enjeux juridiques, éthiques et institutionnels, coordinated by Marion Brivot and Nadia Smaili, Éthique publique, 27 (n°1-2), 2025.
Abstract: This article presents a historical and multidisciplinary analysis of the research produced in France on ethical whistleblowing over a period of 50 years (1970-2021). To this end, we have built up a corpus of publications and identified the dominant themes and specific challenges of research on whistleblowing in relation to corporate misconduct. We show that whistleblowing remains a paradox in France. Depending on the actor, it is perceived as either quasi-heroic with a strong ethical value, or as a disgraceful act that carries with it the risk of reprisals. The debates and different cultural reflexes are invoked to focus on the French peculiarities. We conclude by suggesting that a future multidisciplinary and international research program is needed to overcome the tensions arising from whistleblowing, both for the whistleblower and for the organization that is the subject of the whistleblowing.