Who are the European leaders? The careers of prime ministers (1946-2006)

Abstract

This article seeks to understand who the European prime ministers are, as well as to ascertain how institutions and parties can influence their profiles. The findings show that the different institutional organizations of democracies exert diverse influences upon their careers. On the contrary, the ideologies of the parties, the key gatekeepers of the political elite, do not significantly affect the profile of prime ministers.