Ministers and junior ministers have a very relevant role in any government. Within departments, they execute crucial and diverse tasks that allows government perform his political and administrative functions. What are those tasks and who are responsible for them within the ministry? How ministers and junior ministers evaluate the tasks involving accountability duties (e.g. the relationship with the parliament, parties or the media)? There are any differences between ministers and junior ministers?
In this paper we answer to this questions analysing three Portuguese governments (2005-2015), through qualitative content analysis of 78 interviews with former prime-ministers, ministers and junior ministers.
We conclude that ministers have a more positive perception of their accountability role than junior ministers. However, due to the significant autonomy and role of junior ministers in the ministry daily life, their devaluation of accountability remains a potential democratic problem, especially in a changing environment, when citizens demand more transparency, better communication and openness.