Attitudes to moonlighting politicians: evidence from the United Kingdom
Campbell, Rosie and Cowley, P. (2015) Attitudes to moonlighting politicians: evidence from the United Kingdom. Journal of Experimental Political Science 2 (1), pp. 63-72. ISSN 2052-2630.
Abstract
Research has explored the impact of politicians holding second jobs, or moonlighting, on their performance and recruitment, but less is known about how citizens respond to such behavior. Citizens may react negatively to Members of Parliament (MPs) moonlighting, viewing outside earnings as a conflict of interest or a distraction, or instead they might view MPs with second incomes positively, seeing them as a connection with the “real world” beyond politics. Utilizing a series of survey experiments, we assess how British citizens respond to MPs moonlighting. We demonstrate preferences more complex than those revealed by traditional survey instruments. Citizens respond to both size and source of income. They do not respond negatively to all second incomes; they are more sympathetic to the entrepreneur who continues to draw an income than medical doctors or lawyers who continue to practice. They are most hostile to politicians who take on part-time company directorships.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keyword(s) / Subject(s): | Survey experiment, evaluations, MPs, moonlighting, second incomes, UK |
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences |
| Research Centres and Institutes: | Gender and Sexuality, Birkbeck (BiGS), Social Research, Birkbeck Institute for (BISR), Birkbeck Centre for British Political Life |
| Depositing User: | Administrator |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Mar 2015 12:32 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2023 17:15 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/11781 |
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