All Triangles are Not Equal: Unpacking the Executive Triangle Across Systems

The advent of ministerial advisers has significantly changed the roles and interactions at the apex of government. While country cases indicate that they play a gatekeeper role in policymaking to a varying degree, comparative studies on the interaction of ministers, top civil servants and ministerial advisers (in the “executive triangle”) in executive policymaking are still rare. This paper seeks to understand to what extent ministerial advisers interfere with policy proposals prepared by top civil servants before they reach the minister. It identifies cross-country patterns in the relationships between top civil servants and ministerial advisers in executive policymaking. The analysis is based on the Comparative Political Advisers Survey (COMPAS) of former political advisers (2014-2024) in 14 countries in Europe, Asia and the Pacific. It contributes to understanding the procedural and substantive politicization of executive policymaking through the rise of ministerial advisers and thus advances research on political control over administrative decision-making from a comparative perspective.