## Notes from 20 June 2025 [[2025-06-19|← Previous note]] ┃ [[2025-06-21|Next note →]] I took a look at the [new report](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bastien-scordia-579b1686_rapport-cour-des-comptes-mobilit%C3%A9s-public-activity-7328340215046025218-SIE5/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAABJfvIUBLMnEUSA-EbpMEBKTnb3K9do__SQ) from France's top audit body, the Cour des Comptes, on the "revolving door." I spotted it via [[Bastien Scordia]]'s profile. While the report's foundation is clearly about ethics and legal controls, I find its most compelling insights emerge from the practical consequences these rules have on the government's ability to function as a modern employer. From this perspective, the report reveals a government grappling with a new reality. In a world where it struggles to attract talent in technology, digital services, and healthcare, managing employee mobility is not just a risk to be contained but also a core strategic challenge. Here are some takeaways: - **Mobility is concentrated at the top, where skills are most transferable.** The phenomenon is most significant among the elite "_grands corps_" (the highest ranks of the civil service), where technical and managerial experience is highly valued by the private sector. For instance: - The **Corps des Mines** (a highly prestigious corps of state engineers) sees significant movement; 29% of its members were in the private sector as of early 2024. - Among graduates of the now-reformed **ENA**, 22% have spent time in the private sector, though only 8% have left public service. - As of mid-2024, a third of ministerial cabinet directors and their deputies had prior private sector experience. - **The control system reveals where the state's HR is weakest.** The system is managed by the **HATVP** (_[Haute Autorité pour la Transparence de la Vie Publique](https://www.hatvp.fr/)_), an independent government ethics agency. The report shows that while controls are reasonably effective for the central state administration, their inconsistency elsewhere highlights deeper structural issues. The two weakest areas are: - **Subnational administrations:** Controls are still being deployed and have gaps. - **Health sector:** The report calls the lack of control "quasi-inexistent" and a "serious failure". This is particularly revealing because special exemptions were already created for hospital practitioners to make public roles more attractive, yet the basic control framework is still not in place. - **The system favors flexibility over prohibition.** Outright rejections of mobility requests are rare. The most common outcome is an opinion of "compatibility with reservations" (_compatibilité avec réserves_). This is a pragmatic approach: the state approves the move but attaches conditions, like a temporary ban on lobbying or a requirement for the official to commit in writing to respecting the rules. This shows a system trying to enable movement rather than just block it.