Political Leadership

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Political Leadership ( Engl. "Political leadership") is a normative term, which is essentially a special form of political describes leadership and not just superficially winning elections means.

origin

Historically , going back to James MacGregor Burns (1978, leadership ), the most important authors from the Anglo-American region ( Robert Elgie , Howard Elcock or Kenneth Ruscio ) have in common a quality standard that also includes ethical components and a constructive relationship between political leadership and the electorate. In this regard, the political cultures in the USA and Great Britain are also comparable, which institutionally favor individual leaders.

Although totalitarian regimes are explicitly not to be understood under political leadership, there were for a long time fear of contact in the German-speaking countries due to the disastrous experiences with the Third Reich . In the meantime, these hardly exist anymore, but the problem is still visible in the wording : In the fact that political leadership cannot be translated into German, which cannot be compared with the leader principle .

On a scientific level, the skepticism towards political leadership in Germany and Austria is still noticeable when Pelinka says:

“Political leadership, on the other hand, should / must not be completely disconnected from the wishes and goals of those who are politically led. The term thus indicates a potential tension between leadership by individuals and the literal conception of democracy as 'rule by the people'. "

In the German-speaking countries, however, a constructive definition is only just beginning, such as the preliminary version of the Political Leadership section of the ÖGPW ( Austrian Society for Political Science ) from 2009:

"Based on the respective political context, political leadership means the willingness and ability of a person or group to shape social processes in a sustainable manner, whereby the following applies: observance of human rights, common good rather than self-interest and the involvement of those involved rather than going it alone."

Policy personalization

In general, the increased public interest in political leadership should be understood in connection with the phenomenon of the personalization of politics. On the one hand, it is based on the communication of politics in the (electronic) mass media and, on the other hand, it reflects the growing political fatigue and dissatisfaction of citizens in Western democracies. Increasing confusion, even complexity of politics through economic and cultural globalization as well as the internationalization of political communities (e.g. EU) create the need for political power to be localized in concrete, incumbent political personalities. At the same time, this dissatisfaction signals a flexibility that in many cases seamlessly merges into the desire for active policy-making among citizens. For this reason, the question of research into political leadership in civil society institutions ( NGOs ), from collective instead of individual political leadership, is increasingly pressing in political science .

In common parlance as well as in that of the mass media, the term seems to have a positive connotation - sometimes uncritically: it signals leadership, i.e. the will to power coupled with decisiveness and assertiveness. Political leadership thus contrasts, in the general understanding, popular criticisms of the “detached”, self-interest-oriented political caste as well as the reservation against “merciless” populists. It is thus based on the lofty claim of reconciliation of a conflict of objectives in terms of democracy policy: Representation of citizens' interests while at the same time understanding and mobilizing unpleasant decisions (e.g. savings in the federal budget).

Location in the sciences: rediscovery in the 1970s, starting from the USA (see Watergate , Vietnam , social upheavals, economic crisis ) Concepts of political leadership have a common intersection with issues in neighboring scientific disciplines. These include, in particular, history (Burkhardt), sociology (organizational sociology ), psychology and management literature . Reference to Weber's charisma.

literature

  • Regina Jankowitsch, Annette Zimmer (ed.): Political Leadership - Approaches from Science and Practice . Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-938456-22-4 .
  • James MacGregor Burns: Leadership . New York 1978. (Reprint: Perennial, New York 2006, ISBN 0-06-131975-9 ).
  • Howard Elcock: Political Leadership. Elgar, Cheltenham 2001, ISBN 1-8406-4059-6 .
  • Robert Elgie: Political Leadership in Liberal Democracies . Macmillan, Basingstoke 1995, ISBN 0-333-59759-1 .
  • Kenneth P. Ruscio: The Leadership Dilemma in Modern Democracy . Elgar, Cheltenham 2004, ISBN 1-84064-646-2 .
  • Richard Neustadt: Presidential Power. The Politics of Leadership , New York 1960
  • Franz Walter : Charismatics and Efficiencies: Portraits from 60 Years of the Federal Republic . edition suhrkamp, ​​2009, ISBN 978-3518125779 .