Miniszteri fluktuáció és intézményi változások Magyarországon 1990–2010
Ministerial Fluctuation and Institutional Changes in Hungary 1990–2010

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the selection, de-selection and the career patterns of 139 Hungarian cabinet ministers (and the 204 positions they have occupied) from the fi rst democratic government in 1990 (Antall government) to 2010 (Bajnai government). The article argues that the features and the transformation of the political system involve and require different ministerial types. Moreover, these types can also be separated according to their fluctuation. The analysis proves that on the basis of the changing institutional context a changing proportion of “politician minister” and “expert ministers” can be found during the two decades and the patterns of their nomination and removal are also varied. While the Hungarian governments were basically political government before 2010 in some policy areas (economy, finance) they proved to be open towards expertise rationality. The elevated role of the Prime Minister – a particuliarity of the Hungarian case in comparison to other post-communist countries – made the nomination of expert ministers possible. Via this type of nomination the Prime Ministers were able to exert pressure on highly important policy fields. In contrast, the role of expert ministers is diminishing. One explanation lies in the majoritarian turn of the political system, and the other in concrete political developments. Formerly, the Prime Minister needed expert ministers to increase his own elbow room. If and when party as an organizational force is becoming less relavant (because it is overcentralized and does not embody and does not aggregate the context of representation) the Prime Minister does not need expertise any longer but can and will pursue political governance..

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