Classifying Occupations Prior to Entry into Politics: A methodological discussion and an empirical test

This article brings forward a discussion regarding the definition, classification, and measurement of social positions of origin for research on political elite recruitment. To this end we present several theoretical and methodological strategies to establish the variable 'occupation prior to a parliamentary career' and argue in favor of a more analytical criterion than a sociographic one when coding the occupations of those who consider entering the political world. The argument that follows considers that political recruitment could be better apprehended by means of a typology that takes into account not only institutional variables but also, as suggested by Max Weber, social and economic variables. For the empirical test concerning the proposed criteria the data is based on candidates for a federal deputy seat in 2006 and 2010 so as to simulate the efficiency of an alternative classification. This classification is based on three parameters: 1) the flexibility of the candidate's professional career (free time and financial autonomy), 2) the importance of this occupation in a given community (social status) and 3) the candidate's previous affinities with the values and practices of the political world. The results revealed that social cleavages as well as gender cleavages may be enhanced due to the type of professional activity previously exerted by the political candidates even before institutional filters yield their effects. Adapted from the source document.