A cabinet reshuffle is a crucial political moment – the way that prime ministers or premiers move fellow politicians around in their governments has a massive impact on how well those departments are run, how much clout they have and whether they are able to meet their policy objectives. It’s a task that is taken on at the provincial and federal level, and the decision-making involved in it often makes or breaks a government.
The idea of reshuffles is central to the study of cabinets and of executive politics, yet little attention has been given to exploring their implications for democracy. This collection brings together new comparative research on the different types and effects of cabinet reshuffles across a range of democratic countries and regimes.
Reshuffles can be used to signal policy shifts, promoting high-performing ministers and demoting rivals in an attempt to improve departmental performance. They can also be used to promote women and minority MPs or to refresh the cabinet by bringing in younger members of the party.
Reshuffles can also reveal weaknesses in the relationship between a PM and his or her cabinet – if a minister refuses to move out of a favoured position, or threatens to resign if they are moved away from their current portfolio, it may be clear that there is an unfavourable balance of power between them. Similarly, if a minister’s removal from their cabinet position is seen as a punishment for criticising the government, it can backfire and make that particular ministry less effective.