This book examines the changes in the career experiences and profiles of 350 European prime ministers in 26 European democracies from 1945 to 2020. It builds on a theoretical framework, which claims that the decline of party government along with the increase of populism, technocracy, and the presidentialization of politics have influenced the careers of prime ministers over the past 70 years. The findings show that prime ministers’ career experiences became less political and more technical. Moreover, their career profiles shifted from a traditional type of ‘party-agent’ to a new type of ‘party-principal’. These changes affected the recruitment of executive elites and their political representation in European democracies, albeit with different intensity and speed.
Author(s): Ferdinand Müller-Rommel, Michelangelo Vercesi, Jan Berz
Series: Palgrave Studies in Political Leadership
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 240
City: Cham
Foreword
Preface
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Studying Prime Ministers’ Careers: An Introduction
The Political Role of Prime Ministers
Why Study Prime Ministers’ Careers?
Clues from Existing Research
Going Beyond Existing Research
Prime Ministers in 26 European Democracies
Outline of the Book
References
Chapter 2: The Background of Prime Ministers: Who They Are
Socio-Demographic Background
The Proportion of Male and Female Prime Ministers
The Degree of Seniority
Educational and Occupational Variations
Political Experiences
Partisan Background
The Longevity in Office
Conclusion
References
Chapter 3: Change of Prime Ministers’ Careers: Theoretical Considerations
The Argument in Brief
The Decline of Party Government
Consequences of Declining Party Government
Populism and Technocracy
Presidentialization
Declining Party Government and Prime Ministers’ Careers
The Impact of Populism and Technocracy
The Impact of Presidentialization
Conclusion
References
Chapter 4: Changing Career Experiences: Less Political, More Technical
Varieties of Career Experiences
Political Experiences of Prime Ministers
National Political Experiences
Subnational and Supranational Political Experiences
Technical Experiences of Prime Ministers
How Prime Ministers’ Career Experience Has Changed
Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: Changing Career Profiles: From Party-Agents to Party-Principals
Dimensions of the Analysis
Defining Career Profiles
Measuring Career Profiles
Variations of Career Profiles Across Europe
Longitudinal Trends Among Career Profiles
Trends on European Level
Trends on Regional Level
Trends on Country Level
Electoral Volatility and Career Profiles
Institutional Setting and Career Profiles
Career Profiles in Parliamentary and Semi-presidential Systems
Prime Ministerial Powers and Prime Ministers’ Career Profiles
Presidential Powers and Prime Ministers’ Career Profiles
The Impact of Party Families on Prime Ministers’ Career Profiles
Changes Within and Between Party Families Over Time
Gender and Prime Ministers’ Career Profiles
Conclusion
References
Chapter 6: Conclusion: What Have We Learned and What Needs to Be Done?
Key Findings
Implications on Democratic Representation and Democratic Governance
Avenue for Future Research
References
Appendix
Country Selection: Democracy Scores and Population
Level of Democracy in 26 European Countries
Population in 26 Countries, from the Most to the Least Populated (2019)
Data Sources
List of Prime Ministers in 26 European Countries (1945–2019)
Codebook for Identifying Prime Ministerial Background Variables and Career Patterns
Eigenvalues in the Factor Analysis, Electoral Volatility, and Party Family Findings by Region
Index
