Ministerial advisers in the Core Executive (I)

Abstract

Ministerial advisers are key actors in the Core Executive. Together with political executives and top civil servants, they form the “executive triangle”. Existing research is mostly focused on single-case studies on countries from the Westminster, Napoleonic, Scandinavian and Germanic tradition. Descriptive studies have advanced our understanding of what advisers do and - to a certain extent- who they are. Yet, the field is only emerging and explanatory research remains rare. This panel aims to support the emerging focus on causal explanations and welcomes papers that develop and/or test causal mechanisms. Papers can cover a broad range of topics related to ministerial advisors, including career patterns, the impact of regulatory frameworks, institutional reform and accountability issues. We also encourage scholars to propose comparative papers using country characteristics as independent variables. As such, the ministerial advisers research field might benefit from conceptual enrichment, allowing for a more generalizable understanding of the role and impact of ministerial advisers. Keywords: ministerial advisers, career patterns, regulatory frameworks, accountability, comparative politics

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