Is there a `revolving door’ to the private sector in Irish
politics?
Baturo, AlexanderORCID: 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
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