How Politicians’ Careers Shape Public Policy

Raquel de Mattos Pimenta - Professor at the FGV Sao Paulo Law School

Iana Alves de Lima - Postdoctoral Researcher at the FGV Sao Paulo Law School

In March, while commenting on a proposed reform to establish a minimum income tax for the ultra-wealthy, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad stated that the super-rich are overrepresented in Brazil’s National Congress. His remarks came amid debate over the feasibility of the measure, meant to offset income tax exemptions for those earning less than R$5,000.

The idea that the overrepresentation of the wealthy might hinder the approval of progressive policies aligns with findings from public opinion research. In 2023, data from Latinobarómetro revealed that 54.2% of Brazilians believed the country was governed by a small group of powerful individuals acting in their own interests, rather than for the common good.

But is there truly an overrepresentation of the rich—and how does it shape the policies they promote? Research shows that politicians tend to come from more privileged economic backgrounds than the general population, a pattern observed globally, regardless of the metric used—wealth, income, occupation, or education.

Recent studies have expanded their scope beyond occupational differences to include gender, race, and other social markers. Still, there is limited systematic evidence on how politicians’ backgrounds and trajectories influence policy decisions. Most existing studies—largely based on European parliamentary systems—indicate that leaders who are employers or professionals, especially lawyers and bankers, tend to oppose redistributive policies.

Evidence suggests that politicians’ life trajectories shape not only their beliefs and opinions but also the policies they implement. A study covering 18 parliamentary democracies over 60 years found that cabinets dominated by liberal professionals implemented more cuts to social programs, while those led by sociocultural professionals tended to expand them.

In Latin America, although studies are fewer, existing research indicates that legislators’ backgrounds influence their views on economic policy—differences that become especially evident during agenda-setting, when proposals are still being negotiated, rather than in final votes, where institutional factors such as party discipline play a stronger role.

In short, this research agenda suggests that unequal representation is forged not only in the final vote on a bill but throughout its entire policymaking process—amid uncertainty, negotiation, and agenda formation. In this sense, policymakers’ trajectories, opinions, and attitudes matter deeply in shaping policy outcomes.

In 2024, the Center for Law and Political Economy (NUDEP) at FGV São Paulo Law School (FGV Direito SP) launched a socio-legal research project in partnership with international universities to investigate how policymakers’ career paths influence income concentration. The study will analyze 50 democracies between 2005 and 2020, with case studies in four countries, including Brazil. The Brazilian component focuses on income taxation, currently under debate, aiming to map how such policies are formulated and to identify barriers to pro-redistributive initiatives.

If politicians’ careers influence public policy, then ensuring fair representation must go beyond regulating lobbying or private campaign financing. Understanding how these trajectories interact with other forms of influence and power is essential.

Original piece in Portuguese available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/opiniao/2025/05/como-a-trajetoria-dos-politicos-influencia-as-politicas-publicas.shtml

*This opinion article was translated and edited with the assistance of ChatGPT (OpenAI).

Ensuring political representativeness goes beyond regulating lobbying or campaign financing—it requires examining how career paths intersect with other exercises of power.