SuperCitizen

Federal law imposes a one-year ban on senior officials lobbying their former agency, and lifetime bans on lobbying on matters they "personally and substantially" worked on. State and local rules vary. In practice, many former officials work as "strategic advisers" or in-house roles that fall outside formal lobbying registration.

The revolving door operates in both directions: regulators recruited from industry, and former officials hired by regulated firms. The concern is regulatory capture — that the prospect of post-government industry employment biases officials' decisions.

Reform proposals include longer cooling-off periods (2-5 years), broader bans that include "strategic advice," and stricter recusal rules for officials with industry backgrounds.

Spectrum of framings

How adherents on each side of the conventional left / center / right spectrum frame this issue — written so each camp would recognize the framing as charitable.

left

Progressives favor multi-year cooling-off periods and strong recusal rules to break regulatory capture.

center

Good-government reformers support closing strategic-adviser loopholes and modernizing the post-employment regime.

right

Some conservatives favor reform of the revolving door, especially for executive-branch appointees; others see it as a normal feature of expert governance.

Perspectives

Each perspective is presented in terms its advocates would recognize, with the concerns they treat as paramount. None is endorsed.

Aggressive-reform advocates

The revolving door is the central mechanism of regulatory capture. Multi-year bans, broader scope, and strict recusal would re-orient officials toward the public interest.

Regulatory capture
Post-employment conflicts of interest
Aligning officials with the public interest

Expertise-pragmatist defenders

Government needs people who understand the industries they regulate. Excessive restrictions on post-government employment deter qualified candidates from public service.

Recruiting and retaining expertise
Avoiding incumbent-protection
Distinguishing capture from competence

The revolving door (government-to-industry)

Spectrum of framings

Perspectives

Related lessons