What are the effects of transparency regulations on politicians’ outside income? Do they influence their behavior? And how do voters react to lucrative side jobs?
Carina Neisser, a postdoctoral researcher at ECONtribute at the University of Cologne, specializes in public finance. In a recent study, she analyzed the impact of the 2005 transparency directive on the outside income of members of the German Bundestag. We talk about which side jobs are the most lucrative, why it’s particularly politicians from conservative-liberal parties who tend to earn extra income on the side, and whether it’s even possible to measure how effective the regulation has been.
This episode is all about competence, corruption, and cash.