Political leadership : towards a general analysis

Political leaders are the most universal, recognized, and talked about element of political life. However, the general analysis of political leadership has been little advanced. In this book Professor Blondel provides a general framework for the systematic study of leadership to make possible future empirical study and comparative analysis of political leadership. After examining the current state of political leadership studies, Professor Blondel categorizes the leaders of the world taking into account both their goals and the constraints and opportunities resulting from the environment. Important features and influences on leadership are identified: the sources of personal power, the role of leaders' own psychology and perspective, the instruments of power available to leaders, their relationship with subordinates and citizens, the influence of institutions on leadership and the impact of leaders.Introduction. -- 1. What is political leadership and how can it be assessed? -- 2. The role of political leadership past and present. -- 3. A conceptual assessment of the impact of political leaders. -- 4. The influence of personal characteristics on political leadership. -- 5. The influence of institutions on political leadership. -- 6. The future of the study of political leadership. -- 7. Conclusion