How institutional designs condition perceived local political leadership

Bibliographic Data

ID6302567
AuthorsJacob Torfing (0000-0002-9627-086X, Roskilde University, corresponding author), Tina Øllgaard Bentzen (0000-0002-4181-7442, Roskilde University), Marte Winsvold (0000-0002-6096-0594, University of Oslo), Marte Slagsvold Winsvold (University of Oslo)
Year2022
Volume48
Issue3
Pages341-366
Publication date2022-05-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueLocal Government Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0300-3930 • E-ISSN: 1743-9388
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03003930.2020.1821664
OpenAlexW3136696197
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited48

This article aims to test whether local governments can enhance the elected councillors’ perceived political leadership by changing the institutional design that conditions their ability to define problems that call for collective action, design policy solutions and mobilise support for their implementation. The study draws on new research on political leadership and institutional design and data from surveys conducted in Denmark and Norway. The analytical framework distinguishes between four different but overlapping institutional design strategies, and the main finding is that institutional designs aiming to enhance executive, collective or distributive political leadership are associated with an increase in perceived political leadership, whereas – surprisingly – institutional designs aiming to enhance interactive political leadership are not. Upon closer inspection, however, the impact of interactive institutional designs on political leadership seems to be conditioned on whether the power relation between politicians and administrators is balanced or unbalanced

Collective action · Distributive property · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Public relations · Relation (database · Computer Science · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Political Systems and Governance · Public Administration · Public Policy and Administration Research