Revolving Doors

Check out Public Citizen's report on Congressional Revolving Doors at our website, LobbyingInfo.org

NEW: 2005 Revolving Door Restrictions in the States [PDF]

The concept of a "revolving door" in governmental affairs generally refers to divergent concerns about the close relationship between business and government. There are three somewhat distinct forms of revolving door practices that call into question the integrity of governmental decisions. The first type of revolving door concerns the ability of business interests to "capture" the federal government by placing business executives in leadership positions on the very governmental agencies designed to regulate the business interests (known as industry-to-government revolving door).

A second form of revolving door concerns the integrity of governmental decisions and contracts that are made by public officials seeking to leave government service and attract lucrative private employment (known as government-to-industry revolving door).

A third type of revolving door also involves leaving government service for the private sector, but specifically working as a lobbyist for private business interests and exercising inappropriate leverage and influence over former colleagues on behalf of their clients (known as government-to-lobbyist revolving door).

Each of these types of revolving doors dangerously blurs the distinction between the public good, which should be the priority of government service, and private benefit, which is the priority of business interests.