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Ministerial Selection and Intraparty Organization in the Contemporary British Parliament

Author

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  • KAM, CHRISTOPHER
  • BIANCO, WILLIAM T.
  • SENED, ITAI
  • SMYTH, REGINA

Abstract

This article promotes a characterization of intraparty politics that explains how rank- and-file party members control the delegation of power to their cabinet ministers and shadow cabinet ministers. Using the uncovered set as a solution concept and a measure of party members' collective preferences, we explore the hypothesis that backbenchers' preferences constrain the ministerial selection process in a manner that mitigates agency problems. Specifically, promotion is distributed preferentially to members whose own policy preferences are proximate to the uncovered set of all party members' preferences. Our analysis of ministerial appointments in the contemporary British Parliament supports this view. For both the Labour and Conservative parties, front bench appointments are more sensitive to the collective preferences of backbenchers in each party as measured by the party uncovered set than to the preferences of the parties' leaders.

Suggested Citation

  • Kam, Christopher & Bianco, William T. & Sened, Itai & Smyth, Regina, 2010. "Ministerial Selection and Intraparty Organization in the Contemporary British Parliament," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 104(2), pages 289-306, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:104:y:2010:i:02:p:289-306_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Hanna Bäck & Marc Debus & Wolfgang C. Müller, 2016. "Intra-party diversity and ministerial selection in coalition governments," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 166(3), pages 355-378, March.
    2. Brandon Schaufele, 2013. "Dissent in Parliament as Reputation Building," Working Papers 1301E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    3. Jacob Bower-Bir & William Bianco & Nicholas D’Amico & Christopher Kam & Itai Sened & Regina Smyth, 2015. "Predicting majority rule: Evaluating the uncovered set and the strong point," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 27(4), pages 650-672, October.
    4. Stremersch, S. & Winer, R.S. & Camacho, N.M.A., 2020. "Faculty Research Incentives and Business School Health: A New Perspective for Marketing," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2020-007-MKT, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    5. William Bianco & Christopher Kam & Itai Sened & Regina Smyth, 2014. "Party relevance and party survival in new democracies," International Area Studies Review, Center for International Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, vol. 17(3), pages 251-261, September.

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