85418 - Models of Political Leadership

Academic Year 2017/2018

  • Docente: Donatella Campus
  • Credits: 8
  • SSD: SPS/04
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Politics Administration and Organization (cod. 8784)

Learning outcomes

The course provides the analytical tools to examine the phenomenon of the political leadership in its different facets, basing on approaches and research from a range of disciplines : the analysis of political institutions, organization theory, cognitive psychology, and political theory. At the end of the course students are able to distinguish different leadership styles ; to appraise the role and the function of the leadership in contemporary democracies ; to assess the impact of variables such as gender and culture on the selection and the style of political leaders.

Course contents

Main subjects are:

Psychological theories of leadership

Relationship between leaders and followers

Leadership and gender

Leadership and theory of democracy

Leadership, personalization and presidentialization

Leadership and populism

Readings/Bibliography

Rhodes and t'Hart, (a cura di), Oxford Handbook of Political Leadership, Oxford University Press, 2014, capitoli 8: Political psychology and the study of political leadership, Margaret G. Hermann; 10: The social psychological study of leadership, Stephen D. Reicher, S. Alexander Haslam and Michael J. Platow; 25: Populism and political leadership, Cas Mudde and Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser

N. Keohane, Leadership, Princeton University Press, 2010; capitolo 5, pp. 155-193

Campus D, Lo stile del leader, Il mUlino, 2016; cap 1, pp. 19-47.

Campus, D.Women Political Leaders and the media, Palsgrave, 2013, cap 1, pp.10-21

Poguntke e Webb (a cura di ), The presidentialization of politics, Oxford University Press, 2005, capitoli 1, pp.

Teaching methods

Lectures and seminars.

Assessment methods

Written text with open ended questions

Office hours

See the website of Donatella Campus