The Institutionalization of Integrity in Local Government

What Happens After the Storm? Investigating Three Conditions Under Which Local Governments Change Integrity Policy After Scandals

“…This study systematically investigated what happens "after the storm": Is the scandal seized as an opportunity to improve integrity policy of the municipality, and if so, under what conditions? Remarkably, although others have noted integrity breaches as important conditions for change (Hoekstra & Kaptein, 2013, 2014, this study found that there is often "silence after the storm"; in eight integrity-related resignations, nothing changed. However, this is not always necessary, for instance, if the scandal is an isolated incident.…”

“…An integrity violation that triggers change can be thought of as the act of a single politician, but this individual "blame" may be the tip of the iceberg. Policy change may occur if a breach is viewed not as an isolated case but as something which addresses structural weaknesses from an organizational perspective (Dubnick, 2003;Hoekstra & Kaptein, 2013). For example, if multiple civil servants within the municipal bureaucracy knew about a violation or have been actively involved in it, this implies that misconduct is more systemic and transcends the isolated violation of a single politician.…”

“…The reports shed light on "what happened," but often also provide certain recommendations for the organization under investigation. Again, this could contribute to setting the agenda such that organizational integrity policies can be improved (e.g., Hoekstra & Kaptein, 2013).…”

“…Case study research applying these theories on integrity policy has been carried out by some authors (e.g., Hoekstra & Kaptein, 2013, 2014Maesschalk, 2002). Kaptein (2013, 2014) analyzed the development of Dutch national integrity policy over time and found that integrity breaches are an important condition for national policy change.…”

“…Either external audits or media attention is needed to reveal such misbehavior and so to force the local government to adopt acceptable norms and values. External pressure and civil servant involvement are expected to amplify the perception that there are systemic integrity problems in an organization, increasing the chance of an open window to change integrity policy (e.g., Hoekstra & Kaptein, 2013).…”