Abstract
The conventional wisdom of career studies holds that the central state is at the apex of political careers. In this study the traditional notion is contrasted with two extreme cases, where regionalism in conjunction with political professionalization makes for a strong regional career orientation. The empirical analysis, based on an extensive data set on political careers in Catalonia and Scotland, shows political career patterns in both cases to differ not only from the standard pattern, but also from each other. Explaining the institutional opportunity structures operant in each case, the article illuminates the ‘black box’ of how regional politicians pursue their careers and how rather similar territorial identities may translate into rather different career patterns.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
