Public Leadership: Perspectives and practices

Hart, Paul ‘t; Uhr, John

doi:10.26530/oapen_459473

Cited by 20 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 121 publications

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“…This seems to be particularly true when it is about political leadership. The distinctive functions performed by those who exercise leadership, as claimed by Paul ‘t Hart and John Uhr, are needed ‘in order for a polity to govern itself effectively and democratically, [and] are not performed spontaneously by a polity's public institutions, organizations and routines’ (‘t Hart and Uhr, , p. 3). The role of ‘those who govern’ provides answers on the importance of political leadership in supplying guidance and orientation to the polity.…”

Section: What Differentiates Democratic Leadership?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Distinctiveness of Democratic Political Leadership

Teles

2013

Political Studies Review

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One recognises that political leadership still makes a difference. However, scholarship seems incapable of offering the proper tools to provide further and relevant understanding on the theme, particularly when we consider liberal democracy's current trends, namely its egalitarian ethos and the personalisation of politics. One of its key features, even in strongly controlled democracies, with tight systems of checks and balances, is the ascendancy of assertive leaders, to whom voters look when deciding on which party to vote for. Therefore, a dispassionate assessment of political leadership is needed in order to adjust our analysis: from the qualities of particular individuals, their intentions, perspectives and preferences, to the way leaders perform their role. This article intends to identify what is the specific nature and distinctiveness of contemporary political leadership, arguing that the nature of the task sets new problems in the political science literature and asks for new approaches.

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Section: What Differentiates Democratic Leadership?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Political leadership in democratic contexts is dominated by a hierarchical world view, using the language of grid-group cultural theory (Hood, 2000;Thompson et al, 1990). 'People need rules and incentives to follow' is the core proposition that is offered up by the leadership paradigm.…”

Section: Distinctiveness and Research: Some Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Distinctiveness of Democratic Political Leadership

Teles

2013

Political Studies Review

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“…Public leadership is not merely exercised in the political domain, but coexists with administrative, judicial and civic leadership ('t Hart and Uhr, 2008). However, in representative democracy political leadership plays a key role in connecting policy outcomes to the needs and demands of the people.…”

Section: Theoretical Framework For Studying Local Political Leadershipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Institutional design for collective and holistic political leadership

Torfing

Sørensen

Bentzen

2019

IJPL

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study and assess the content, functioning and impact of institutional reforms aiming to enhance collective and holistic political leadership at the level of local government. Design/methodology/approach The authors conduct a comparative case study of two Danish frontrunner municipalities drawing on relevant documents and qualitative interviews with both elected politicians and public administrators. Findings The authors found that institutional design is effective in promoting collective and holistic political leadership at the local level, even if no formal design options are available and the municipalities have to invent their own designs. Support both from both councilors and administrators is paramount for successful implementation of local political leadership reforms. Research limitations/implications Due to the purposive selection of a limited number of cases, the findings cannot be generalized to the population from which the cases are drawn. However, other municipalities may learn from and become inspired by the positive impact of the new institutional designs on collective and holistic political leadership. Practical implications Whereas some institutional political leadership reforms aim to enhance the power of the mayor and other reforms aim to create a cabinet or a committee system, the reforms the authors are studying aim to create a space for local councilors to work together across party and sector lines in creating collective and holistic policy solutions. The study shows that it is crucial that local councilors are involved in cross-boundary agenda setting before developing policies in standing committees and endorsing them in the council assembly. Social implications There is a large amount of more or less wicked problems that require the formulation and implementation of innovative policy solutions, which, in turn, call for a clear and determined political leadership. However, local politicians typically suffer from decoupling and tunnel vision. The results show that these problems can be solved through new institutional designs that promote a more collective and holistic political leadership that can take the local community forward. Originality/value Few studies have hitherto addressed the need for institutional reforms enabling collective and holistic political leadership through both theoretical and empirical analyses, but that is exactly what the authors try to accomplish.

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“…Moving well beyond classic preoccupation with executive government elites, political leadership elides into the broader notion of public leadership. A positional ap proach has given way to a functional approach (see 't Hart and Uhr 2008). For some, this trend courts the danger of leadership becoming every action that influences others.…”

Section: Transcending the Dichotomies?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Puzzles of Political Leadership

Hart

Rhodes

2014

The Oxford Handbook of Political Leadership

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This chapter surveys how the field has addressed the central puzzles of political leader ship by discussing several key dichotomies that have been the focal point of scholarly in quiry and debate past and present: leaders and leadership; democrats and dictators; causes and consequences; actors and context; personal qualities and luck; success and failure; and art and science. The authors conclude that the study of leadership is a some what bewildering enterprise because there is no unified theory of leadership. There are too many definitions, and too many theories in too many disciplines. They do not agree on the meaning of leadership, on how to study it, or even why we study it. The subject is not just beset by dichotomies; it is also multifaceted, and essentially contested. Finally, the authors provide a brief conspectus of the Handbook.

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Public Leadership: Perspectives and practices

Cited by 20 publications

References 121 publications

The Distinctiveness of Democratic Political Leadership

The Distinctiveness of Democratic Political Leadership

Institutional design for collective and holistic political leadership

Puzzles of Political Leadership

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