Prime Ministers in Europe: Changing Career Experiences and Profiles

Description

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. 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