Political careers and stability in office of regional ministers in Italy

Abstract

Models of political representation and selection in the Italian regions have undergone major changes since the mid-1990s, due to the new framework of opportunities based on a presidential form of government and a new party system. We aim to understand the extent to which certain socio-economic characteristics and political profiles influence the stability of the tenure of Regional Ministers (RMs), using an original dataset of 1121 RMs in ordinary statute regions. Our results show that political affiliation and regional political experience are crucial for holding office and even certain socio-economic features such as gender and age. Indeed, centrist politicians are less likely to remain in office than those who belong to other parties. Furthermore, they are more likely to stay in office longer if they have a high level of regional experience.