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The Cabinet: A Viable Definition and its Composition in View of a Comparative Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 April 2013

Cristina Barbieri  and
Michelangelo Vercesi
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Abstract

This article is made up of two main parts. The first part points out two different definitions of cabinet – that is, functional and legal definitions. It also highlights the strong points and the shortcomings of both, proposing at the same time a new definition more suitable for a comparative analysis. In doing this, it puts forward some useful criteria with a view to establishing what a minister actually is, what a cabinet is and how it is made up. The second part provides an overview of the structures of governments in 38 countries, from core to junior ministers, on this basis.

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Articles
Information
Government and Opposition , Volume 48 , Issue 4 , October 2013 , pp. 526 - 547
Copyright
Copyright © Government and Opposition Ltd 2013 

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Footnotes

*

Cristina Barbieri is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Pavia. Contact email: cristina.barbieri@unipv.it. Michelangelo Vercesi is PhD in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Pavia. Contact email: michelangelo.vercesi@unipv.it.

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