Revolving Door

The “revolving door” refers to the interchange of personnel, usually between industry and government, but also between lobby groups or think tanks and government, as well as between the media and government. The problem is that government officials can be [Page 353]unduly influenced, by either their previous employers or potential future employers, and this undermines the effectiveness of governments in regulating to protect the environment.

There is also a revolving door between environmental groups and the industries they criticize that can give rise to similar conflicts of interest, whereby environmental groups can be unduly influenced by business interests. What is more, the revolving door can help business interests gain unearned environmental credibility.