Political Leadership

Matthew Laing is an adjunct lecturer in political science at Monash University in Melbourne. He received his PhD from the Australian National University, and has worked in the study and teaching of leadership in a variety of contexts, including Monash University, the National Police of the Netherlands, Boston College and in a consulting capacity to several state and local governments.

• 1. Introduction and Key Concepts2. Power, Authority, Followers and Elites3. Philosophy, Legitimacy and Morality4. Democrats and Dictators5. Biology, Anthropology, Gender6. Psychology, Personality, Biography7. Context, History and Institutions8. Decisions, Policy and Advice. 9. Rhetoric, Persuasion and Negotiation10. Contemporary Trends and Challenges.

Political leadership is an enduringly fascinating subject that somehow evades the grasp of normal political science. This book is at once compact, comprehensive and highly accessible. Enlivened and illustrated with practical cases, it provides a valuable introductory text that can also be read with profit by anyone interested in leadership.