This volume has been designed as a key resource in the field of international political leadership research. Written by a team of distinguished leadership scholars from three continents and nine countries, the original chapters gathered in this volume cover all the major fields of political leadership, from executive, legislative and party leadership to leadership in social movements and international organizations. The special value and appeal of this book relates to its genuinely comparative focus that characterizes all chapters.

Foreword-. List of Figures, Tables and Diagrams-. Notes on Contributors-. 1. Introduction: The Importance of Studying Political Leadership Comparatively; Ludger Helms-. 2. Executive Leadership in Comparative Perspective: Politicians, Bureaucrats, and Public Governance; B. Guy Peters and Ludger Helms-. 3. Comparing Leadership Patterns and Dynamics in the Legislative Arena; Philip Norton-. 4. The Presidentialization of Party Leadership? Evaluating Party Leadership and Party Government in the Democratic World; Paul Webb, Thomas Poguntke and Robin Kolodny-. 5. Leadership in Social and Political Movements: A Comparative Exploration; Dieter Rucht-. 6. Political Leadership in Times of Crisis: Comparing Leader Responses to Financial Turbulence; Arjen Boin, Paul 't Hart and Femke van Esch-. 7. Comparative Keyword Analysis and Leadership Communication: Tony Blair - A Study of Rhetorical Style; Jonathan Charteris-Black-. 8. Political Marketing and Opinion Leadership: Comparative Perspectives and Findings; Jennifer Lees-Marshment-. 9. The Contributions of Political Psychology to Comparative Leadership Analysis; Stanley Renshon-. 10. Comparing and Assessing Gender Effects in Political Leadership; Anne Stevens-. 11. 'Army of One or Join the Club?': Comparing Local Political Leadership in Europe; Kristof Steyvers, Herwig Reynaert and Tony Valcke-. 12. Confronting the Challenges of Political Leadership in International Organizations; Michael G. Schechter-. 13. Political Leadership in Old and New Democracies; Robert Elgie-. 14. Comparative Leadership in Non-Democracies; Erica Frantz and Elizabeth Stein-. Index.         

Ludger Helms is Professor of Political Science and Chair of Comparative Politics at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. He has held previous positions or visiting positions at, among others, Harvard, Berkeley, Heidelberg, Tokyo and the London School of Economics and Political Science. His research and publications focus on issues of political leadership, institutions, and democratic governance.