Political Leadership: A Pragmatic Institutionalist Approach

Description

This book provides a philosophically informed, institutionalist account of political leadership. It is rooted in a certain version of the American pragmatist philosophical tradition and privileges the study of institutions as a cause of leadership outcomes. The book adopts a multi-method approach. It includes a laboratory experiment identifying the psychological effects of presidentialism and parliamentarism on leader behavior; a large-n statistical study of the impact of semi-presidentialism on voter choice; an expert survey of president/cabinet conflict in Europe; an analysis of presidential control over cabinet composition in France; and two in-depth case studies of the circumstances surrounding constitutional choice in France and Romania. This book is aimed at scholars and students of political leadership, political institutions, the philosophy of the social sciences, and research methods. Overall, it shows that an institutional account has the potential to generate well-settled beliefs about the causes of leadership outcomes. Front Matter ....Pages i-xvi Making Sense of the World (Robert Elgie)....Pages 1-31 Making Sense of Leadership Outcomes (Robert Elgie)....Pages 33-60 The Psychological Effects of Presidential Institutions: written by David Doyle and Robert Elgie (Robert Elgie)....Pages 61-84 Regime Types, Presidential Power, and Clarity of Economic Responsibility (Robert Elgie)....Pages 85-125 Presidential Power and President/Cabinet Conflict (Robert Elgie)....Pages 127-149 Party Politics and Presidential Control of the Cabinet in France (Robert Elgie)....Pages 151-180 Institutional Choice and Cohabitation in France (Robert Elgie)....Pages 181-213 Institutional Choice and Cohabitation in Romania (Robert Elgie)....Pages 215-249 Conclusion (Robert Elgie)....Pages 251-262 Back Matter ....Pages 263-281