Is there really a revolving door between politics and business?

The so called ‘revolving door’ problem refers to the apparent tendency of politicians to pursue lucrative career opportunities after they leave politics. But to what extent does this image of politicians as opportunists seeking to benefit from their time in office match reality? Drawing on a new study covering Germany and the Netherlands, Clint Claessen, Stefanie Bailer and Tomas Turner-Zwinkels explain that while some politicians do use their political roles as a stepping-stone in their career, this is perhaps less common than we imagine.