Revolving Door

The Revolving Door is the term used to describe where politicians or civil servants take up jobs as lobbyists or consultants in the area of their former public service. It is also a two-way system where former private sector employees could accept positions in the government where they have the power to regulate the sector they once worked in.
Transparency International,a global organization focused on preventing corruption and promoting transparency in institutions, policies and legislations, has published a number of reports on cases of revolving doors in different parts of the world. It says:

“the revolving door can undermine trust in government, because of the potential for real or perceived conflicts of interests.(…) Without strong rules in place there is the risk that public office holders allow the agenda of their previous employer to influence their government work. Alternatively, the prospect of a future career in the private sector might motivate an individual to behave differently while in public office” ¹

Revolving doors could also involve a job in the industry as a reward for services provided to the industry, for sharing information or exercising influence on the process of preparing regulation or making decisions. Moreover, recruiting a civil servant who has worked at a position well situated for lobbying can be of interest for the industry, for someone like that brings a network that he or she can continue to use.
Several countries have included legal restrictions and bans to avoid revolving door situations from happening. Such is the case of the United States, France, Japan, Indonesia, among others.

Tobacco Tactics Resources on Revolving Doors

Tobacco Tactics has been monitoring examples at a global level for many years. Find out more by clicking on this list of profiles:

• Herman Cheung
• Kenneth Clarke
• Johan Gabrielsson
• Jon Huenemann
• Kate Marley
• Anne Katrine Mevlig
• Almos Molnar
• Michel Petite
• Karin Riis-Jørgensen
• Hubert van Breemen
• Andreas Vecchiet
• Yoji Wakui

To see more about organizations involved in revolving doors cases, go to Revolving Door Category
Revolving Door

Read more about Tobacco Industry Tactics