Heywood (CH14: Political Executives and Leadership)

should personalized leader be always feared

336

cult of personality

A cult of personality (or cult of leadership) is a propaganda device through which a political leader is portrayed as a heroic or God-like figure. By treating the leader as the source of all political wisdom and an unfailing judge of the national interest, the cult implies that any form of criticism or opposition amounts to treachery or lunacy. Cults of personality have typically been developed in totalitarian regimes (first by Stalin) through the exploitation of the possibilities of modern means of mass communication, and the use of state repression Heywood, Andrew. Politics (p. 334). Macmillan Education UK. Kindle Edition.

presidential executive

An executive that is headed by a separately elected president, who enjoys political and constitutional independence from the parliament. .

Parliamentary executive

An executive, typically composed of a prime minister and cabinet, that is drawn from, and accountable to, the parliament, and is formed through parliamentary elections.

populism

Rather, populist leaders cast themselves as an integral part of the people, their role, in effect, being to create or even embody the people. authentic style of politics This is done in a variety of ways. First, anti-political politicians - such as Marine Le Pen, Nigel Farage, Geert Wilders, Narendra Modi, Viktor Orban and Matteo Salvini - typically cultivate a distinctive, even idiosyncratic, public image, relying as much on factors such as mannerisms and personal appearance as on what they say and do. do. The purpose of this is to set them apart from conventional politicians, who, increasingly, all seem to look the same and sound the same. By being different, they are advertising that they are, quite simply, themselves, people who have substance and who voters can relate to, rather than the 'manufactured' politicians who otherwise seem to dominate the political scene. . Second, anti-political politicians tend to portray themselves as political 'outsiders', people who can be trusted because they have not been corrupted by the experience of holding senior public office and the compromises which that (perhaps inevitably) entails . Third, anti-political politicians stand apart from conventional politicians because of their policy or ideological boldness, giving the impression that they are motivated by deep convictions and, in particular, believe in something other than just advancing their own careers. Fourth, their boldness is also reflected in a willingness to court controversy and outrage their opponents, often, in the process, showing a wanton disregard for the conventional norms of political interaction.

core executive

The core executive is a network of institutions and people who play key roles in the overall direction and coordination of government policy. It usually encompasses the prime minister, senior policy advisers, leading cabinet members, cabinet committees and staff in strategically important government departments. The core executive model gets away from the simplistic 'prime minister versus cabinet' debate, by acknowledging that these bodies operate within an institutional context. It also acknowledges the extent to which policy influence is exerted through the building up of alliances and coalitions of support. Heywood, Andrew. Politics (p. 330). Macmillan Education UK. Kindle Edition.

trump

deal maker 'vehicle for the people' and embraced an unmistakably populist leadership style. Trump's success was based on the recognition that the brash, self-aggrandizing and almost cartoonish persona that he had cultivated in a career as a celebrity businessman and reality TV star could, without modification or qualification, provide a basis for a yet more successful career in politics. 'Never settle, never surrender; counter-attack, counter-sue immediately; claim victory and never admit defeat.' Heywood, Andrew. Politics (p. 339). Macmillan Education UK. Kindle Edition. Political correctness: Language, behaviour or opinions that are supposedly 'correct' because they comply with egalitarian, non-discriminatory, anti-authoritarian and other standards. Heywood, Andrew. Politics (p. 339). Macmillan Education UK. Kindle Edition.

dimensions of power

formal : the constitutional roles and responsibilities of executive officers and the institutional frameworks in which they operate informal : the role of personality, political skills and experience, and the impact of factors such as parties and the media external : the political, economic and diplomatic context of government, and the broader pressures that bear on the executive branch.

Functions of Political Executives

pg 317 ●Ceremonial Leadership ○The executive branch represents the larger society and symbolizes its unity Policy-making Leadership ○The key function of the executive is to direct and control the policy process ●Popular Leadership ○The popularity of the executive is crucial to the character and stability of the regime ●Bureaucratic Leadership ○The executive branch is in charge of managing or overseeing the implementation of policy ●Crisis Leadership ○The executive is responsible for taking swift and decisive action in crises

Theories of Leadership

●A Natural Gift ●A Sociological Phenomenon ●An Organizational Necessity ●A Political Skill 334

Styles of Leadership

●Laissez-Faire Leadership ○The leader takes a "hands-off" approach and delegates to the cabinet ●Transactional Leadership ○The leader takes a positive role in relation to policy-making ●Transformational Leadership ○The leader is akin to an inspirer or visionary ●Populism and Leadership ●Authoritative Leadership ○Strongman Politics: when a leader controls by force of will and character or military methods ○Cult of Personality: a propaganda device through which a political leader is portrayed as a heroic or God-like figure ○Personalization: a process through which the importance of individual politicians grows over time at the expense of political groups, such as political parties pg 336

Role of the Executive

●Legislatures make law; they enact legislation ●Executive implement law; the execute law ●Judiciaries interpret law; they adjudicate on the meaning of the law ●Executive: the branch of government that is responsible for the implementation of laws and policies ●Head of State: the personal embodiment of the state's power and authority, ceremonial ●Head of Government: responsible for running the government with the approval of the cabinet ●Cabinet: a group of senior ministers that meets formally and regularly, and is chaired by the chief executive, cabinets may make policy or be consultative

Prime Ministerial Government

●Parliamentary Executive ○An executive, typically composed of a prime minister and a cabinet, that is drawn from, and accountable to the parliament and is formed through parliamentary elections ●Cohabitation ○An arrangement in a semi-presidential system in which the president works with a government and assembly controlled by a rival party or parties ●Thatcherism ○The free-market/strong-state ideological stance adopted by Margaret Thatcher; the UK version of the New Right political project ●Vote of No Confidence ○A statement or vote about whether a Prime Minister is no longer deemed fit to hold their position First, since executive power is derived from the assembly and closely linked to party politics, a separate head of state, in the form of a constitutional monarch or non-executive president, is required to fulfil ceremonial duties and act as a focus of patriotic loyalty. ​ Second, the political executive is drawn from the assembly, which means that the separation of the personnel between the legislature and executive found in presidential systems does not occur in parliamentary systems. ​Third, the executive is directly responsible to the assembly, or at least to its lower chamber, in the sense that it survives in government only as long as it retains the confidence of the assembly. critics ​the level and range of their patronage ​ their control of the cabinet system, especially their ability to set up and staff cabinet committees ​ their ability to dominate the assembly as leaders of the largest party, especially when that party has majority control of the lower chamber ​their position as head of the civil service, and the control this gives them over the bureaucratic machine ​their direct access to the media, which enables them to make personalized appeals to the voters.

Presidential Government

●Presidential Executive ○An executive that is headed by a separately elected president, who enjoys political and constitutional independence from the parliament ●Presidentialism ○Personalized leadership that is disengaged from parties or other governmental bodies, ,in the manner of an executive president ●Semi-Presidential System ○A system of government in which a separately elected president presides over a government drawn from, and accountable to, the assembly ●Patronage ○The practice of making appointment to office, or, more widely, the granting of favors ●Imperial Presidency ○A presidency that has broken free from its constitutional bounds and threatens to dominate the other two branches of government ●Impeachment ○A formal process for the removal of a public official in the event of personal or professional wrongdoing (1) the executive and the legislature are separately elected ; (2) there is a formal separation of the personnel between the legislative and the executive branches; (3) the executive cannot be removed by the legislature (except, possibly, through impeachment); (4) the president or executive cannot 'dissolve' the legislature; and (5) executive authority is concentrated in the hands of the president. US presidents get their way depending on their relationship with the congress federal bureaucracy the supreme court and the media pg 322

executive

In its broadest sense, the executive is the branch of government that is responsible for the implementation of laws and policies. More commonly, the term is now used in a narrower sense to describe the smaller body of decision-makers who take overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of government policy. This group of senior figures is often called the political executive (roughly equivalent to 'the government of the day', or 'the administration'), as opposed to the official executive, or bureaucracy (p. 376). For 'core' executive, see p. 332. First, a distinction is often drawn between the 'political' executive and the 'bureaucratic' executive. This highlights the differences between politicians and civil servants, and, more broadly, between politics and administration (see p. 376). Second, various levels of status and responsibility have been identified within executives. Whereas assemblies tend to respect at least the formal equality of their members, executive branches are typically pyramidal, organized according to a clear leadership structure.

Leadership

Leadership can be understood either as a pattern of behaviour, or as a personal quality. As a pattern of behaviour, leadership is the influence exerted by an individual or group over a larger body to organize or direct its efforts towards the achievement of desired goals. As a personal attribute, leadership refers to the character traits that enable the leader to exert influence over others; leadership is thus effectively equated with charisma (see p. 82). In both respects, however, leadership requires 'followership'. For a claim to leadership to be upheld, others, the followers, must recognize and act on that claim. Heywood, Andrew. Politics (p. 332). Macmillan Education UK. Kindle Edition.