Transforming Political Leadership in Local Government

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-ix

   PDF

2. Institutional Reforms in Local Government

   • Rikke Berg, Nirmala Rao

   Pages 1-14

3. The Reform of the Political Executive in Dutch Local Government

   • Bas Denters, Pieter-Jan Klok, Henk van der Kolk

   Pages 15-28

4. The Directly Elected Executive Mayor in German Local Government

   • Hellmut Wollmann

   Pages 29-41

5. From Committees to Leaders and Cabinets

   • Nirmala Rao

   Pages 42-58

6. From Aldermen to Ministers: The Oslo Model Revisited

   • Harald Baldersheim

   Pages 59-72

7. Municipal Presidentialism and Democratic Consolidation in Spain

   • Jaume Magre Ferran, Xavier Bertrana Horta

   Pages 73-84

8. From Cabinets to Committees

   • Rikke Berg

   Pages 85-100

9. Laymen and Executives in Swiss Local Government

   • Andreas Ladner

   Pages 101-115

10. The Swedish Model: Many Actors and Few Strong Leaders

    • Stig Montin

    Pages 116-130

11. Institutional Form and Political Leadership in American City Government

    • James H. Svara

    Pages 131-149

12. The Powerful French Mayor: Myth and Reality

    • Eric Kerrouche

    Pages 150-167

13. Transformation of the Political Executive in Belgian Local Government

    • Johan Ackaert

    Pages 168-179

14. Institutions Count but Resources Decide

    • Clarence Stone

    Pages 180-194

15. Transforming Political Leadership: Models, Trends and Reforms

    • Helge O. Larsen

    Pages 195-211

16. Back Matter

    Pages 212-236

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Local governments throughout the west are undergoing a transformation of their leadership styles and structures. Some countries have abandoned traditional systems of collective or committee based decision-making in favour of Cabinet models or, more radically, a directly-elected executive mayor, while others have strengthened existing mayoral systems. There are a few exceptions to this trend. Based on original research in eleven countries the book assesses these changes in terms of their implications for political accountability, the role of lay politicians, political recruitment, the professionalization of leadership, and relations with the bureaucracy.

• decision-making
• executive
• Government
• Institution
• reforms
• transformation

'Berg and Rao have provided us with a valuable and righ collection of comparative materials on local political leadership...there is much that academics and professionals can learn from this collection'. - Michael Goldsmith, Public Administration

JOHAN ACKAERT is at Limburgs University Centrum, Belgium HARALD BALDERSHEIM Professor in Department of Political Science, University of Oslo, Norway BAS DENTERS Professor of Urban Policy and Politics, University of Twente, The Netherlands JAUME MAGRE FERRAN Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Barcelona, Spain XAVIER BERTRANA HORTA Analyst, Centre for Local Innovation, Barcelona, Spain ERIC KERROUCHE Charge de recherche CNRS, France PIETER-JAN KLOK Department of Science, Technology, Health and Policy Studies, University of Twente, The Netherlands ANDRES LADNER Professor and Dr at the Kompetenzzentrum for Public Management, Switzerland HELGE O. LARSEN Professor at Nesna Unversity College, Norway STIG MONTIN Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, Orebro University, Sweden CLARENCE N. STONE Professor, George Washington Institute of Public Policy, George Washington University, USA JAMES H. SVARA Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, North Carolina State University, USA HENK VAN DER KOLK Department of Political Science and Research Methods, University of Twente, The Netherlands HELLMUT WOLLMANN Professor, Department of Political Science, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany

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