Young parliamentary assistants in Poland: How collaboration with MPs shapes political career aspirations

Abstract The authors of this article consider whether the close collaboration between young people and parliamentarians supports and develops opportunities and ambitions for political careers. Therefore, they review theoretical findings on the ways in which political careers and channels of political recruitment are commonly understood, and present the results of their own fieldwork. By analyzing data from individual in-depth interviews with young parliamentary assistants, they attempt to explain the multidimensional determinants of their relationships with MPs, with a particular focus on trying to understand whether the experience of this collaboration can influence plans for future political careers.