Stepping out of the shadow of the past: how career attributes shape ministerial stability in post-communist democracies

Morgan-Collins, Mona; Meyer-Sahling, Jan-Hinrik

Abstract

How do career attributes affect the survival of post-communist ministers? We theorise that career attributes determine “desirability” of ministers, and therefore the length of their tenure. While political career attributes provide superior expertise and incentives, bureaucratic career attributes fall short on both “desirability” markers. Utilizing a unique data set of individual ministers in four post-communist countries in the first two decades after transition, we provide support for our expectations. We then demonstrate that while career attributes acquired before transition remain relevant for the stability of post-communist ministers after transition, their value wanes over time as post-transition career attributes gain predominance.

Citation

Morgan-Collins, M., & Meyer-Sahling, J. (2020). Stepping out of the shadow of the past: how career attributes shape ministerial stability in post-communist democracies. East European Politics, 311-331. https://doi.org/10.1080/21599165.2020.1781096

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 6, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jul 2, 2020
• Publication Date: Jul 2, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jul 10, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 3, 2022
• Journal: East European Politics
• Print ISSN: 2159-9165
• Electronic ISSN: 2159-9173
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 311-331
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21599165.2020.1781096
• Keywords: Executirve politics; political elites; ministerial stability; post-communism; communist legacies
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4757064
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21599165.2020.1781096
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in East European Politics on 02/07/2020 available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/21599165.2020.1781096 .