Midiendo la estabilidad ministerial en los inicios del Estado argentino (1862-1898)

This article is part of a broader research study that aims to analyze the composition and rotation of the national cabinet in the period from 1862-1952. This paper specifically addresses the first part of that period, from 1862 to 1898, in which both the quantity (five) and the areas of the ministries (Interior; Foreign Affairs; Justice, Religious Affairs, and Public Instruction; War and Navy; and Finance) were pre-established by the national Constitution. The objective of this paper is, on the one hand, descriptive and consists of giving an account of which national ministers were appointed in Argentina by which presidents, for which ministries, and for how long. At the same time, a first index proposal is formulated to comparatively analyze the degree of stability/instability of the cabinets. The main source of information is the Record Books of Sworn National Government Members in Argentina, kept by the General Notary of the National Government. On the other hand, the stability/instability of the cabinets will be analyzed, measuring this using with a specific tool proposed here, the Cabinet Stability Index (IEG), which seeks to become a useful instrument for future analyses of other periods and/orpresidential regimes. Finally, we will formulate hypotheses that attempt to account for the main variations observed, from a political perspective that, in turn, articulates the historical considerations of the time.