The Political Dynamics of Portfolio Design in European Democracies - HAL-SHS - Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société Access content directly
Journal Articles British Journal of Political Science Year : 2021

The Political Dynamics of Portfolio Design in European Democracies

Ulrich Sieberer
  • Function : Author
Thomas Meyer
Hanna Bäck
  • Function : Author
Andrea Ceron
  • Function : Author
Albert Falcó-Gimeno
  • Function : Author
Isabelle Guinaudeau
Martin Ejnar Hansen
  • Function : Author
Kristoffer Kolltveit
  • Function : Author
Tom Louwerse
  • Function : Author
Wolfgang Müller
  • Function : Author
Thomas Persson
  • Function : Author
  • PersonId : 894094

Abstract

The design of government portfolios – that is, the distribution of competencies among government ministries and office holders – has been largely ignored in the study of executive and coalition politics. This article argues that portfolio design is a substantively and theoretically relevant phenomenon that has major implications for the study of institutional design and coalition politics. The authors use comparative data on portfolio design reforms in nine Western European countries since the 1970s to demonstrate how the design of government portfolios changes over time. Specifically, they show that portfolios are changed frequently (on average about once a year) and that such shifts are more likely after changes in the prime ministership or the party composition of the government. These findings suggest a political logic behind these reforms based on the preferences and power of political parties and politicians. They have major implications for the study of institutional design and coalition politics.
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Dates and versions

halshs-02890230 , version 1 (22-12-2021)

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Ulrich Sieberer, Thomas Meyer, Hanna Bäck, Andrea Ceron, Albert Falcó-Gimeno, et al.. The Political Dynamics of Portfolio Design in European Democracies. British Journal of Political Science, 2021, 51 (2), pp.772-787. ⟨10.1017/S0007123419000346⟩. ⟨halshs-02890230⟩
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