The effect of the Puerto Rican governmental ethics law on the perception of corruption among municipality of Hatillo employees

Since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been a seemingly continuous sequence of corruption cases presented in U.S. federal courts involving Puerto Rican governmental officials. In an effort to curb corrupt behavior among officials and the deleterious effects thereof, the government of Puerto Rico has developed and implemented Law Number 12, better known as the Puerto Rican Governmental Ethics Law. To shed light on the effects of this law on governmental employees, this research study determined the extent to which the development and implementation of the Puerto Rican Governmental Ethics Law has affected the perception of corruption among Municipality of Hatillo employees. This study was an attempt to address the following question: How has the Puerto Rican Governmental Ethics Law affected perceptions among Municipality of Hatillo employees?;For the evaluation of the aforementioned question as well as subsidiary research questions, a quantitative research method was employed, in which a survey was used for data collection. The research was aimed toward determining whether there was a statistically significant difference among Municipality of Hatillo employees of various classifications in terms of perceptions of the Puerto Rican Governmental Ethics Law, implementation of the law, and compliance with the law. A research methodology was developed for testing the three main research questions within the framework of an exploratory study. Participants were 137 employees of the Municipality of Hatillo.;The research findings indicate that there was a statistically significant difference in perceptions regarding the Puerto Rican Governmental Ethics Law among Municipality of Hatillo employees with the following job classifications: supervisors, technical and professional employees, and office employees. The study did not support the second and third research questions. There were no statistically significance difference among Municipality of Hatillo public employees regarding their knowledge of the implementation and compliance of the Puerto Rican Governmental Ethics Law.;The findings of this research have significant implications for the public sector and for governmental management. For those in the public sector, the study serves as a reminder that the ethical education that is required under the Puerto Rican Governmental Ethics Law is necessary and important for the development of ethical maturity in public sector employees. Moreover, for management to develop a more ethical climate, it is recommended that supervisors increase their participation and compliance with the ethics educational programs that are required by law. An improved ethical environment could help to prevent ethical lapses and penalize the criminal behavior of those officials who, in the performance of their governmental work, violate the basic principles of an ethics of excellence.