A cabinet led by, or composed mainly of, non-party experts rather than elected politicians, usually formed during an economic or political crisis; distinct from a caretaker government with a narrow mandate.
In more detail
McDonnell and Valbruzzi (2014) define a technocrat as someone who has never held public office under a party banner, is not a formal party member and has recognised non-party expertise. They counted 24 technocrat-led governments in EU democracies from 1945 to mid-2013, only six of them full technocratic governments with a majority of technocrats and a mandate to change policy. Examples include Monti in Italy (2011–2013) and Papademos in Greece (2011–2012). Such governments rely on parliamentary support from parties that prefer not to own unpopular decisions, which can damage those parties later.