Who Governs Southern Europe?

In modern politics, cabinet ministers are major actors in the arena of power as they occupy a strategic locus of command from which vital, authoritative decisions flow continuously. Who are these uppermost policy-makers? What are their background characteristics and credentials? How are they selected and which career paths do they travel in their ascent to power? This set of research issues has guided this collection, a comprehensive, empirical account of the composition and patterns of recruitm