How Moral Goodness Drives Unethical Behavior: Empirical Evidence for the NGO Halo Effect

Isabel de Bruin*, Allison R. Russell, Muel Kaptein, L.C.P.M. Meijs

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

With the occurrence of high-profile scandals in the nongovernmental organization (NGO) sector, scholars and practitioners alike have questioned why “good” organizations behave badly, yet little empirical research has explored this topic in depth. The present study examines the NGO halo effect, a conceptual framework that proposes three mechanisms to explain how NGO moral goodness can lead to NGO unethical behavior, that is, moral justification, moral superiority, and moral naivety. Through an analysis of 34 interviews with NGO staff and volunteers, we identify 151 unique cases and 17 different types of unethical behavior. We find that 92% of these cases are related to the halo effect, with 22% through moral justification, 25% through moral superiority, and 45% through moral naivety. This study provides empirical support for the NGO halo effect as a factor for understanding NGOs’ unethical behavior, with implications for future research.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)589-614
Number of pages26
JournalNonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
Volume53
Issue number3
Early online date23 Jun 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2024

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© The Author(s) 2023.

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