ADI Lunchtime Seminar - Towards a Good Parliamentary Exit

The ADI lunchtime seminars are an opportunity for a relaxed, informal, monthly discussion of current research projects and recent publications
over a 60-minute lunch session. An associated ADI researcher speaks for 20-30 minutes followed by 20-30 minutes of Q&A discussion.
ABOUT
Parliamentary career exit - how elected representatives depart the legislature, either voluntarily or involuntarily -- shapes the attractiveness of political careers and popular views about the legitimacy of political elites. Yet, despite its practical importance, parliamentary exit has been largely neglected in research on the design of political career structures. Seeking to address this gap, this presentation analyses parliamentary exit in terms of its fit with democratic values. The design of exit structures, we contend, should be rooted in the ideals of representation, potentially qualified by other democratic principles. After assessing various models of career exit in these terms, we make the case for one specific model, in which the exit process has ‘moderately generous’ conditions for departing MPs; the scheme is ‘tailored’ to parliamentarians’ distinct circumstances; and these arrangements operate alongside ‘tight’ rules in the domains of lobbying and conflict of interest. The presentation draws on material from the
Deakin Parliamentary Careers and Workplaces Project.
SPEAKER DETAILS
Zim Nwokora is an Associate Professor in Politics and Policy Studies at Deakin University where he currently serves as Course Director of the
Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE). He is a comparative political scientist with expertise on constitutions, political parties and political finance. He has published widely on these topics including in the British Journal of Political Science, Governance, International Journal of Constitutional Law, Party Politics, Political Research Quarterly and Political Studies.