As prime minister, she was responsible for managing the economy after the Great Recession, and she supported budget cuts to reduce the government deficit.

Born in communist Czechoslovakia, Radičová began an academic career as a sociologist and specialized in methodology so she did not have to participate in ideological projects.

[3] After obtaining her bachelor's degree, Iveta Radičová attended the Slovak Academy of Sciences, where she earned her PhD in the same subject.

[1] Radičová opposed the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, and she supported liberal democracy during the semi-authoritarian rule of Vladimír Mečiar.

She had difficulty adjusting to and working with her colleagues: she did not make strong allies among her peers in minister positions or her subordinates within her own ministry.

She had to convince the Christian Democratic Movement to support her through negotiations, as they disapproved of her relatively liberal positions on family and gender.

[5]: 573  Though Radičová had previously said that her being a woman may harm her in a presidential election, she paid little attention to the subject publicly while she campaigned.

[5]: 573–574 Seeking to contrast herself with her opponents, Radičová maintained a policy of civility, speaking calmly and refusing to engage in personal attacks.

Her critics said that her lack of aggressiveness represented an inability to fight for the interests of the country, and her prior opposition to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia was portrayed as a loyalty to non-Slovaks.

On 21 April 2010, when her fellow legislator Tatiana Rosová was absent from the parliament building, Radičová cast a vote on her behalf against parliamentary rules.

[7] She retained her position as SDKÚ-DS's deputy leader, and she defeated Ivan Mikloš in a content for the top spot on the party's candidate list for the 2010 parliamentary election.

[4]: 244  Though the SDKÚ-DS did not win a plurality of the vote, Prime Minister Robert Fico of the Direction – Social Democracy party was unable to form a coalition.

[4]: 245 In addition to her own SDKÚ-DS, Radičová's coalition government included the Christian Democratic Movement, Freedom and Solidarity, and a new inter-ethnic party, Most–Híd.

When the Freedom and Solidarity Party joined the opposition, Radičová insisted that an oppose vote was equivalent to a motion of no confidence in the government.

[4]: 245  Radičová and the rest of SDKÚ-DS released a statement afterward defending the decision, arguing that integration with Europe was more important than the existing government.

[4]: 245–246 The economy was a major issue during Radičová's tenure, as she became prime minister at the end of the Great Recession and was responsible for the nation's recovery.

Slovakia was not as well established financially as other European nations, suffering from a large deficit, high unemployment, significant debt, low average income, poor standard of living, and insufficient infrastructure.

[4]: 246 Radičová pledged that her new government would cut state spending to reduce the budget deficit, while steering clear of tax rises.

She stated, "We are ready to take responsibility over the country at a time when it is coping with the impact of a deep economic crisis and the irresponsible decisions of our political predecessors."

[4]: 247 By the end of her government, Radičová was unable to see most of her policy objectives enacted, largely because of the short period of time that she was prime minister.

[10] In 2013, Radičová published Krajina hrubých čiar [Country of Full Stops], a book on her experience as prime minister.