Technocratic Ministers and Political Leadership in European Democracies

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the ‘technocratic shift’ in ministerial recruitment, measuring its extent and variations over time in fourteen European countries. It addresses the question: who governs in European democratic regimes? Just a few decades ago, the answer would have been straightforward: party-men and (fewer) party-women. More recently, however, and in varying degrees across Europe, a greater proportion of non-politicians or experts have been recruited to government, as exemplified by the 2017 election of Emmanuel Macron to the French Presidency. These experts, frequently labelled “technocrats”, increasingly occupy key executive positions and have emerged as powerful actors in the decision-making process. This edited collection explores the contemporary debates surrounding the relationship between technocracy, democracy and political leadership, and will appeal to scholars and advanced students interested in these fields.

Antonio Costa Pinto is Research Professor at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal. He has published on authoritarianism, political elites, democratization and transitional justice. He co-edited Who Governs Southern Europe? Regime Change and Ministerial Recruitment, 1850-2000 (2003; first reprint, 2012) and Dealing with the Legacy of Authoritarianism: The “Politics of the Past” in Southern European Democracies (2013) (with L. Morlino).

Maurizio Cotta is Professor of Political Science at the University of Siena, Italy. His research interests include the comparative study of political elites, political institutions and Italian politics. He has co-edited and co-authored many books, namely Parliamentary Representatives in Europe (2000), Democratic Representation: Diversity, Change and Convergence (2007), and Political Institutions of Italy (2007) (with L. Verzichelli).

Pedro Tavares de Almeida is Professor of Political Science at NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal. His research interests focus on elite recruitment, elections and political representation. He has co-edited Who Governs Southern Europe? Regime Change and Ministerial Recruitment, 1850-2000 (2003; first reprint, 2012), Perspectives of National Elites on European Citizenship (2012) and The Politics of Representation: Elections and Parliamentarism in Portugal and Spain, 1875-1926 (2017).