Ministerial Selection Research Articles

Ministerial Selection and Intraparty Organization in the Contemporary British Parliament

This article promotes a characterization of intraparty politics that explains how rank- and-file party members control the delegation of power to their cabinet ministers and shadow cabinet ministers. Using the uncovered set as a solution concept and a measure of party members' collective preferences, we explore the hypothesis that backbenchers' preferences constrain the ministerial selection process in a manner that mitigates agency problems. Specifically, promotion is distributed preferentially to members whose own policy preferences are proximate to the uncovered set of all party members' preferences. Our analysis of ministerial appointments in the contemporary British Parliament supports this view. For both the Labour and Conservative parties, front bench appointments are more sensitive to the collective preferences of backbenchers in each party as measured by the party uncovered set than to the preferences of the parties' leaders.

Does European Integration Lead to a `Presidentialization' of Executive Politics?

In this article, we address recent claims that executive— legislative relations in parliamentary democracies are undergoing important changes owing to either a `presidentialization' or a `Europeanization' of domestic political systems. Therefore, we test empirically whether parliamentary democracies are indeed experiencing changes in executive—legislative relations and whether these developments can, in part, be explained by an increase in European integration. Using data on ministerial selection in Swedish cabinets during the years 1952—2006, we find that there appears to be a slight tendency towards `presidentialization', which is indicated by a decrease in ministers with a parliamentary background being appointed, and that there exists some support for the notion that Sweden's political and economic integration into the European Union is part of the explanation for this change.

Ministerial Selection in Ireland: Limited Choice in a Political Village

Comparatively, Taoisigh have one of the most restricted pools from which to select ministers. This has an impact on the ability of Taoisigh to deselect ministers, which in turn affects the choices Taoisigh make in constructing their cabinets. This article argues that the small and stable political elite in Ireland cause personal relationships and loyalty to be important in Irish politics. As a result Taoisigh tend to be conservative when selecting ministers. Only those TDs with experience or who are well known tend to be selected as ministers. Empirical analysis predicting cabinet membership confirms this and other expectations.

The Role of Psychological Assessment in Predicting Ministerial Effectiveness

Recent research has demonstrated moderate validation for the use of psychological assessment in ministerial selection procedures. However, no research to date has empirically validated the efficacy of psychological assessments in the prediction of ministerial effectiveness in actual parish settings. This research investigated the relationship of psychological assessments to ordination decisions and to measures of ministerial effectiveness in a sample of church pastors. Results indicated that while psychological assessment recommendations were significantly related to ordination decisions they were not found to be significantly related to measures of ministerial effectiveness. The implications for the use of psychological assessments in ministerial selection procedures are discussed.

Prime Ministerial Power and the Selection of Ministers in India

The process of selection to the national council of ministers in India, as well as the role of the institution, has changed immensely during the past three decades. While ministers exhibit the characteristics of political elites generally—through their form and level of education, their occupational endeavor, and their pursuit of politics as a vocation— ministerial selection has been a function of prime ministerial strategies to assert the dominance of the prime minister's position and to augment its power. Strategies pursued have been determined by personal temperament and reactions to the leavening of public sentiment, the induction of new classes and generations of elites into the public arena, and the changing configurations within the party system. In this article the selection of ministers to the central cabinet in India is examined in terms of this context of power through a comparison of the reigns of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.

Book Review and Notice: Psychological Testing for Ministerial Selection

Book Review and Notice: Psychological Testing for Ministerial Selection