Based on extensive data sets from national election studies in nine major democracies, this book brings together leading experts to assess the impact of political leaders on voting patterns. This is the first major book-length treatment of the importance of leaders' personality on the outcome of democratic elections.

• 1: André Blais: Introduction


• 2: Dieter Ohr: Changing Patterns of Political Communication


• 3: Sören Holmberg and Henrik Oscarsson: Party Leader Effects on the Vote


• 4: Ian McAllister: Political Leaders in Westminster Systems -


• 5: Martin Wattenberg: US Party Leaders: Exploring the Meaning of Candidate-Centered Politics -


• 6: John Curtice: Elections as Beauty Contests


• 7: Bernt Aardal and Tanja Binder: Leader Effects and Party Characteristics


• 8: Richard Nadeau and Neil Nevitte: Leader Effects and Leader Characteristics


• 9: Elisabeth Gidengil: Voter Characteristics and Leader Effects


• 10: Kees Aarts and André Blais: Pull or Push? Positive and Negative Leader Evaluations and Vote Choice


• 11: Dieter Ohr and Henrik Oscarsson: Leader Traits, Leader Image and Vote Choice -

Kees Aarts is holds degrees from the University of Amsterdam (Ba, MA) and Twente (PhD). He is Professor of Political Science at the University of Twente and scientific director of its Institute for Innovation and Governance Studies.
André Blais holds the Canada Research Chair in Electoral Studies and is affiliated with the Department of Political Science, University of Montreal. He studied at the Université Laval (Ba) and at York University (MA, PhD)
Hermann Schmitt holds degrees from the University of Mannheim (Ba, Hab.), the University of Duisburg (PhD), and the Free University of Berlin (Hab.) He is Professor of Political Science at the University of Mannheim and Research Fellow at its Center for European Studies MZES.