Mind the context: Explaining executive aggrandizement in semi-presidential regimes

Executive aggrandizement has become a major challenge, with presidents and prime ministers expanding their influence in ways that undermine democracy and human rights. In semi-presidential regimes executive authority is shared between a directly elected president and the prime minister that normally enjoys broader constitutional powers than the head of state. Yet these regimes are known for clashes between the executives, with presidential activism often behind the conflicts. While previous research has identified cohabitation as the key variable behind empowerment of presidents, our analysis of European semi-presidential countries from 1960 to 2022 argues that societal factors, particularly the state of the economy and corruption, increase the influence of the heads of state. Cohabitation also matters, with presidents choosing to support ‘their’ governments during societal turbulence.