Walking the Tightrope: political accountability, blame and ministerial survival in two parliamentary systems

Abstract

When publicized incidents occur in the portfolio of a minister or when they are accused of some form of wrongdoing, political drama ensues. Their political standing and indeed their ministerial survival is at stake. These incidents can not only lead to resignation but can also diminish trust in government. However, large differences exist within and between parliamentary systems in how these incidents play out and their outcomes. This study explores what happens when ministers are called to account for failures and wrongdoings. Specifically, the question it poses is to what extent formal rules and informal norms among political elites affect the process and outcome of high-stakes accountability episodes in two opposite parliamentary systems: the Netherlands and the Australian State of New South Wales. The study uses a wide range of data and methods to gain an in-depth insight in ministerial accountability processes: from ministerial resignation patterns (1947-2017), to vignette interviews with (former) ministers, parliamentarians, top administrators and journalists and case studies of comparable scandals. When the stakes are high, ministerial account-giving becomes a delicate political balancing act, whose course and outcomes are influenced by not just the formal rules but also the informal norms and practices of the political system. Some ministers are more skilled at walking the tightrope than others, some dangle but stay on, some are strong performers but experience increasingly blustery conditions as they are called back on the tightrope repeatedly during their tenure. Combining institutional and behavioral perspectives on accountability, blame, and ministerial survival, this study shows how political systems set up distinct cultures of processing ministerial accountability and blame, and how even highly skillful and once powerful political leaders can be cut down to size if they face one set of allegations too many.