A cabinet reshuffle is an important political event, and one that generates substantial interest in the media. Reshuffles provide a rare opportunity for the principal to recast his or her cabinet, to promote or demote political rivals, and to redefine public policy (Muller and Meyer 2010; Laver and Shepsle 1996).
In addition to promoting high-performing ministers, or removing those who are underperforming, prime ministers may use reshuffles to signal changes in policy direction. In some cases, such as the 2023 reshuffle, the move to make energy security a top priority may have been intended to signal a shift in policy direction.
However, there is also evidence that ministerial turnover can actually harm public policy. Excessive ministerial churn makes it harder for individual ministers to develop expertise about their departments, and it can be difficult for parliament to hold ministers accountable for the policies they pursue. In addition, a regular pattern of replacing ministers can leave various long term tasks unfinished and cause disruption to departmental functions.
Moreover, using reshuffles as an instrument of party discipline can backfire, especially when the prime minister sends critical rivals to the backbenches. This frees them to criticise the government openly, potentially undermining the prime minister’s authority.
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