Lobbyist once, lobbyist for life? Frequency and intensity of circulation in the field of power since 2017

Studies of political entourages and staff have shown the importance of the phenomenon of “pantouflage”, where an employee moves permanently from the public to the private sector. A new phenomenon, retro-revolving door, which involves people going back and forth between the public and private sectors, concerns those in positions of power, with the novelty that for a time they hold positions as interest representatives. This position, which was recognised by the Sapin II Act in 2016, provides an opportunity to analyse a process that gives it credibility: the ongoing development of political capital, which gives these people as many opportunities to work in the private sector as to return to the public sector. This article therefore sets out to show how this capital supports the movement of these agents as much as it is composed and maintained during these experiences.