The organizational reasons for wrongdoing. The case of Italy’s Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM)

Abstract Many scholars have highlighted the individual, organizational and inter-organizational causes of wrongdoing; others focused on its (negative) consequences or analyzed how it can persist spread between organizations. An underlining assumption shared by many those studies is that wrongdoing a deviant, society-damaging phenomenon originating from individual actors’ pursuit undue advantages. We argue that, at least in some cases, actors may also “organizational reasons” for wrongdoing, besides self-interest. This article aims analyzing reasons CSM affair, scandal shed light deviant practices career paths within Italian judiciary system. By relying documents several semi-structured interviews to judges, public prosecutors, experts field, we reconstructed actual advancement (extra-legal governance) compared them with formal policies (legal governance). Our analysis shows were not merely occasional episodes favoritism, but part an extra-legal governance system involved virtually all Italy’s judges. found decoupled manage two trade-offs – bureaucratic rules vs. efficiency, independence accountability. Therefore, gain, had major wrongdoing: first, they needed cope lack capabilities resources; second, address calls greater In our findings, conclude considerations about learning relation law, organizations, wrongdoing.