The Eyes that Bind: Junior Ministers as Oversight Mechanisms in Coalition Governments

Abstract

Research on multiparty governments has started to debate how coalition partners oversee each other’s policymaking. Due to the divergence of preferences among partners and the difficulty of sanctioning members of other parties, cabinet members attempt to monitor each other in policymaking activities through the use of junior ministers. By analyzing multiple countries’ governments across decades, this article contributes to the current debate about government oversight by defining the circumstances under which parties in coalition governments choose to use junior ministers to keep tabs on ministers from coalition partners. Specifically, we contend that their use depends on the power dynamics within a coalition, as well as the institutional structures in the broader political environment.1