Political Leaders Beyond Party Politics

This book studies party leaders from selection to post-presidency. Based on data covering a large set of Western countries, and focusing on the trends of personalisation of politics, the volume is one of the first empirical investigations into how party leaders are elected, how long they stay in office, and whether they enter and guide democratic governments. It also provides novel data on how leaders end their career in a broad and diverse range of business activities. Topics covered include political leaders’ increasing autonomy, their reinforcement of popular legitimation, often through the introduction of direct election by party rank and file, and their grip on party organization. The book will appeal to students and scholars interested in political parties, political leadership, the transformation of democracy, and comparative politics.

• personalisation of politics
• how party leaders are elected
• lengths of political terms
• ends to political careers
• autonomy of political leaders
• political legitimation
• direct election of party leaders
• party leader influence
• transformation of democracy
• Membership ballots in party leadership elections
• party ideology
• party leader charisma
• Party leaders in democratic institutions
• Electoral support of party leaders
• post-presidency careers
• party politics
• political leaders
• political leadership
• democracy

• University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

  Fortunato Musella

Fortunato Musella is Professor of Political Science at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy, and Professor of Political Concepts for the PhD courses of the Scuola Normale Superiore. His publications include the books Governi Monocratici: La Svolta Presidenziale Nelle Regioni Italiane (Monocratic Governments: The Presidential Turn in the Italian Regions, 2009) and Il Premier Diviso: Italia tra Presidenzialismo e Parlamentarismo (The Divided Premier: Italy between Presidentialism and Parliamentarism, 2012).

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