Comparative analysis of ethical leadership and ethical culture in local government: The USA, The Netherlands, Montenegro and Serbia
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of ethical leadership and ethical culture as a safeguard against corruption. Design/methodology/approach: Using survey data from public managers in local authorities in The Netherlands, Serbia, Montenegro and the USA in a comparative study. Findings: The USA and The Netherlands, generally, display higher levels of organizational integrity than Montenegro and Serbia. Second, the strongest effects of ethical leadership were found in Montenegro. Third, in all four countries a rule‐based approach to ethics dominated. Research limitations/implications: It is difficult to determine the extent to which survey participants felt free to express their true opinions. Different social values need to be included as part of any comparative analysis. Practical implications: The role of ethical leadership is crucial; the importance of laws and rules underpinning ethical conduct cannot be underestimated. Originality/value: The paper contributes to the growing interest in comparative studies.
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Ethical leadership suppresses corrupt acts such as accepting bribes and selling confidential information in cultures less concerned for helping others and acting independently.
“Ethical leadership suppresses corrupt acts such as accepting bribes and selling confidential information in cultures less concerned for helping others and acting independently (Kolthoff, Erakovich, & Lasthuizen, 2010).”
From Taking Stock of Moral Approaches to Leadership: An Integrative Review of Ethical, Authentic, and Servant Leadership (2019) · cites this paper as Kolthoff, Erakovich, & Lasthuizen, 2010
Cited by
Sorted by citations
A meta-analytic review of ethical leadership outcomes and moderators
Bedi, A., Alpaslan, C. M., & Green, S. (2016) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2625-1 · Cited by 698 · see citing works
Lemoine, G. J., Hartnell, C. A., & Leroy, H. (2019) · Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.5465/annals.2016.0121 · Cited by 614 · see citing works
Lehnert, K., Park, Y.-H., & Singh, N. (2015) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-014-2147-2 · Cited by 247 · see citing works
- Authors
- Kolthoff, E., Erakovich, R., & Lasthuizen, K.
- Affiliations
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
- Texas Wesleyan University (US)
- Venue
- International Journal of Public Sector Management
- Publisher
- Emerald
- Published
- 2010-10-05
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 596-612
- ISSN
- 0951-3558 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1517468052
- Cited by
- 63
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 3
- FWCI
- 2.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Public Sector Management (publishedVersion)
- VU Research Portal (publishedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Ethics in Business and Education
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Corruption and Economic Development
- Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
- Keywords
- ethical leadership, ethical culture, local government, anti-corruption, organizational integrity, public managers, rule-based ethics, cross-national comparison, public sector ethics
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