Rewards at the top (Re-Top)

Abstract:

What type and level of rewards do people and politicians prefer, and what rewards do politicians actually obtain? The study of the rewards of high public office (RHPO) is not merely a question about politicians’ pay and pensions, but rather a study of one of the core questions in political science; namely, the contract between the politicians and the people. The aim of this project is to study both sides of the coin: The rewards citizens are willing to accord to politicians and the strategies and actual rewards linked to holding high public office (HPO). Work package 1 investigates the preferences stated for different types and levels of rewards among people and politicians. Work package 2 investigates how politicians are actually rewarded by examining the size of different types of RHPO politicians obtain at different times. The knowledge produced in the two work packages forms the foundation for assessing and discussing the cleavages between the preferences stated by the people and the politicians and the actual positive and negative rewards earned.