Replication Data for: Legislative Turnover and Lobbyist Exits

Turnover among legislators encourages lobbyists to exit their profession since turnover is associated with decreased wages and increased workplace stress for lobbyists. I examine the exits of 5,566 lobbyists who registered in eighteen states in 1973. Turnover among legislators is associated with increased rates of exit among lobbyists. I also test for whether various individual traits determine exit. Contrary to expectations, former legislators who lobby are not more likely to exit in response to turnover among incumbents than other lobbyists, including turnover in the chambers in which they served. These findings suggest that legislator turnover ends relationships with lawmakers or reduces skills among lobbyists, but that non-revolver lobbyists are more affected by such turnover than others. These findings matter for institutional reforms that affect legislative turnover, and the representation of organized interests.

议员人事更替会推动游说者退出该职业领域，原因在于此类更替与游说者薪资缩水、职场压力加剧存在显著关联。本研究针对1973年在18个州完成注册的5566名游说者的离职行为展开分析，发现议员人事更替与游说者离职率上升存在显著关联。本研究同时检验了各类个体特征是否会对游说者的离职决策产生影响。与预期相悖的是，曾担任议员后转行从事游说工作的旋转门型游说者，在面对现任议员人事更替时，其离职概率并不高于其他游说者——即便更替发生在其曾任职的议事机构中亦是如此。上述研究结果表明，议员人事更替要么会切断游说者与议员的既有联系，要么会削弱游说者的执业能力；相较而言，非旋转门型游说者受此类更替的影响要显著高于旋转门型游说者。本研究结论对于影响议员人事更替的制度改革，以及组织化利益的政治代表议题均具备重要参考价值。