For those who like to keep up with politics, there has been much speculation this week about when and how Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will hold a cabinet reshuffle. James Cleverly replaces Suella Braverman as Home Secretary and Jeremy Hunt moves to Education in the new order, but what does this mean for the government’s performance?
Cabinet reshuffles are significant events in the world of political governance. They may shape intra-governmental relations, either intensifying or helping to solve conflicts between party representatives. They can also be important instruments for promoting and demoting party representatives, with far-reaching implications for the politics of individual departments (Alexiadou, 2016). The ever-increasing personalization of politics has fuelled intense public interest in ministeral personnel-related issues and turned reshuffles into events of unparalleled political significance.
But these changes are not without cost, especially for those departments that rely on consistent departmental guidance. Excessive turnover makes it harder for ministers to develop the expertise required to run their departments, and it can lead to incoherent policy making. It can also give the impression to parliamentarians, donors, and civil servants that the government is unstable, which undermines its credibility.
This special collection brings together novel comparative research on the nature, causes and effects of cabinet reshuffles across diverse political systems. It offers a fresh approach to understanding how and why governments reshuffle, and highlights the importance of thinking about this practice in terms of its role in democratic politics.