Conflicted investigators rationalize narrow inquiries to avoid harm to themselves

Evidence

A law firm with a conflict of interest that was appointed to look into the matter concluded that a broad investigation was unwarranted and would risk “adverse publicity and litigation” (Yardley & Schwartz, 2002). — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1442

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the general literature on institutional moral disengagement and audit capture.