The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Black and white photo of Hanna Bäck. Photo.

Hanna Bäck

Professor

Black and white photo of Hanna Bäck. Photo.

Portfolio Saliency and Ministerial Turnover. Dynamics in Scandinavian Post-War Cabinets

Author

  • Martin Ejnar Hansen
  • Robert Klemmensen
  • Sara Binzer Hobolt
  • Hanna Bäck

Summary, in English

Why do certain ministers remain in their post for years while others have their time in office cut short? Drawing on the broader literature on portfolio allocation, this article argues that the saliency of individual portfolios shapes ministerial turnover. The main argument is that ministerial dismissals are less likely to occur the higher the saliency attributed to the ministerial portfolio since ministers appointed to important posts are more likely to have been through

extensive screening before appointment. Importantly, it is also posited in the article that the effect of portfolio salience is conditioned by government approval ratings: when government ratings are on the decline, prime ministers are less likely to reshuffle or fire important ministers than when approval ratings are improving. To test these claims, Cox proportional hazards models are applied to a new dataset on ministerial turnover in Scandinavia during the postwar period. The results strongly support the proposition that portfolio saliency matters for ministerial survival, and that this effect is moderated by government popularity.

Department/s

  • Department of Political Science

Publishing year

2013

Language

English

Pages

227-248

Publication/Series

Scandinavian Political Studies

Volume

36

Issue

3

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Topic

  • Political Science

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1467-9477