How have the American presidency, the British premiership and the German chancellorship changed over the last half-century? Has there been convergence or divergence in the development of political leadership in the United States and in the two largest democracies of Western Europe? And what difference can individual leaders make in an ever-more complex political environment? Presidents, Prime Ministers and Chancellors addresses these questions by looking at the leadership performance of more than two dozen American presidents, British prime ministers and German chancellors of the post-1945 period. In so doing, it offers a unique perspective on the nature of executive leadership in Western democracies that takes into account both the international and the historical dimension of comparison.
'Ludger Helms expands our knowledge of presidents and prime ministers by this systematic comparison of two different types of parliamentary leaders, the British prime minister and the German chancellor, and the American president. The comparison is thoroughly grounded in political science concepts and literature in two continents, and in research on the ground.' - Richard Rose, University of Strathclyde, UK
'The study of the executive and of leadership within it remains curiously understudied. Ludger Helms has provided an empirically rich and theoretically informed book which will greatly help all students of comparative government.' - Gillian Peele, University of Oxford, UK
'The study of the executive and of leadership within it remains curiously understudied. Ludger Helms has provided an empirically rich and theoretically informed book which will greatly help all students of comparative government.' - Gillian Peele, University of Oxford, UK