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Is there a `revolving door’ to the private sector in Irish politics?

Baturo, Alexander orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-1108-5287 and Arlow, Jonathan (2017) Is there a `revolving door’ to the private sector in Irish politics? Irish Political Studies, 33 (3). pp. 381-406. ISSN 0790-7184

Abstract
The connections between Irish politicians and the private sector are the subject of constant speculation, particularly in the post Celtic Tiger period. However, there is little systematic evidence whether publicised cases of such ties represent the exception to the rule, or if they are symptomatic of a larger problem. In this paper we focus on one aspect of the public-private nexus and investigate whether a revolving door – the movement of individuals between private and public sectors – exists in Ireland. Using evidence from originally collected data on former TDs from 1989- 2016, we find that almost one third of ex-politicians are in the private sector; however, many merely return to their previous occupations as solicitors or small business owners. Still, eleven per cent turn to consulting, lobbying or corporate board membership. We find that former cabinet ministers, the representatives of FF and FG parties, as well as TDs who do not run and lose are more likely to join the corporate sector. We additionally compare former TDs with ex-officials in the civil service. Finally, placing Ireland in a comparative context, we find that the extent of the revolving door problem here is lower than in other democracies.
Metadata
Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:revolving door; political careers; former politicians; Ireland in context
Subjects:Social Sciences > Political science
Social Sciences > Public administration
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Science > School of Law and Government
Publisher:Taylor & Francis
Official URL:https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07907184.2017.1365709
Copyright Information:© 2017 Taylor & Francis
Use License:This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. View License
Funders:Dublin City University Enhancing Performance Award
ID Code:25589
Deposited On:08 Mar 2021 11:16 by Thomas Murtagh . Last Modified 08 Mar 2021 11:16
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