Abstract
This article provides first systematic quantitative insights into the patterns of the occurrence of technocratic cabinets (TCs) in all European countries. Using an original dataset, we identify the broad structural factors and the immediate political conditions that increase the probability that TCs, as opposed to partisan cabinets, are formed.
The dataset covers all the 53 TCs in 36 European countries in years 1989-2015 and a random sample of 104 political cabinets in the same period. We find that TCs are more likely to occur in political systems not trusted by the citizens and in systems with poor economic performance.
TCs are also systematically more likely to occur when the previous cabinet was dismissed by the president or when it fell due to a political scandal. Contrary to our initial expectations, TCs appear to be more likely in countries with institutionally weaker presidents, other things equal.