Career paths of public finance advisers

Public finance advisers consult the Ministry of Finance (MoF) over the formulation and implementation of fiscal, development, budget and debt management policies. Collating a longitudinal dataset describing the career paths of a sample of 81 advisers across 19 OECD countries, this article aims at providing a systematic overview of the professional features shaping the activity of such understudied elite. Empirically analysing the sample’s career trajectories and professional connections, the article draws on sequence analysis and network science. The former computing the most frequent career paths, and the latter identifying the most influential institutions shaping the advisers’ professional profile. The most recurrent sample career trajectories involve transitions across governmental bodies, public finance institutions, and the academia. Relying on network science, the study identifies a transnational community of advisers affiliated to prestigious universities, public finance global standard-setters, and supranational governmental organisations.