Theoretical and Empirical Developments in Leadership Studies

Abstract

The study of political leadership is undergoing resurgence. Approaches range from the normative desire to understand what makes ‘good’ and ‘bad’ leadership, through the organisational approach and on to the highly empirical gathering of evidence of leadership effects. Political leadership sits at the heart of how we explain the functioning of various political systems and public policy decision-making. Leaders rise and fall in the media spotlight as citizens invest greater expectations in those that lead, but are often let down. The study of political leadership cuts across a range of academic disciplines and methodologies, each adding and borrowing from the other, making research in field both rich and diverse. This panel includes theoretical and applied contributions that further enhance this diversity of study. In essence the panel brings together empirically rich data analysis of global leaders with theoretical explorations of individual country case studies. By bringing together scholars utilising historical and contextual analysis with larger datasets of global leaders we can learn much about the state of political leadership.

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