Available:*
Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000004997239 | JF251 H44 2005 | Open Access Book | Advance Management | Searching... |
Searching... | 30000004997270 | JF251 H44 2005 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
On Order
Summary
Summary
How have the American presidency, the British premiership and the German chancellorship changed over the last half-century? Has there been convergence or divergence in the development of political leadership in the United States and in the two largest democracies of Western Europe? And what difference can individual leaders make in an ever-more complex political environment? Presidents, Prime Ministers and Chancellors addresses these questions by looking at the leadership performance of more than two dozen American presidents, British prime ministers and German chancellors of the post-1945 period. In so doing, it offers a unique perspective on the nature of executive leadership in Western democracies that takes into account both the international and the historical dimension of comparison.
Author Notes
LUDGER HELMS is Heisenberg Fellow and Academic Visitor in the Department of Government at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. He has held previous appointments at Harvard University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Heidelberg and at Humboldt University, Berlin.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
In this detailed analysis, Helms (London School of Economics) looks at the postwar evolution of the US presidency, the British prime ministership, and the German chancellorship. Some comparisons are made with other Western European countries as well. Two central focuses exist. The first centers on the patterns of core executive leadership, i.e., the staffing of and relations with the cabinet and the leader's personal office, as well as leadership styles, party relations, and personal backgrounds. The second focus is executive leadership in the wider political process, including relations with the legislature or parliament, interest groups, and the media. Every postwar leader is covered, leading to strong national case studies. Explicit comparisons among the three countries are made in the concluding chapter. The analysis is thorough and up-to-date, the notes and references are extensive, and even scholars in the field will find new information here. One has to go back to Presidents and Prime Ministers, ed. by Richard Rose and Ezra Suleiman (CH, Feb'81) to find a similar book. Helms limits himself to three countries but certainly provides a comprehensive analysis of each. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. A. Siaroff University of Lethbridge
Table of Contents
| Part I Introduction |
| Studying Executive Leadership |
| Part II Patterns Of Core Executive Leadership |
| The United States: Variations of Presidential Predominance |
| Britain: Prime Ministers, Cabinets, and the Struggle for Supremacy |
| Germany: Chancellor Dominance and Coalition Rule |
| Part III Executive Leadership in the Wider Political Process |
| The United States: Providing Leadership in an 'Anti-Leadership Environment' |
| Britain: Executive Leadership from the Top |
| Germany: Governing a 'Semi-sovereign' State |
| Part IV Conclusion |
| Making Sense of Complexity: Comparative Perspectives and Conclusions |
| References |
