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    Assessing the authority of political office-holders: the leadership capital index

    t'Hart, P. and Bennister, M. and Worthy, Benjamin (2015) Assessing the authority of political office-holders: the leadership capital index. West European Politics 38 (3), pp. 417-440. ISSN 0140-2382.

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    Abstract

    This article argues that the extent to which political office-holders can effectively attain and wield authority is a function of the stock of ‘leadership capital.’ Drawing on the concept of political capital, we define leadership capital as aggregate authority composed of three dimensions: skills; relations; and reputation of a leader. Leadership capital ebbs and flows over time within a trajectory of acquisition, expenditure and inevitable depreciation. We present a Leadership Capital Index (LCI) that systematically maps out the three broad areas combining concrete measures with interpretive aspects. This can be used as a tool for systematically tracking and comparing the political fortunes of leaders in a way that is both more nuanced and robust than exclusive reliance on the latest approval ratings. We offer an illustrative case study of Tony Blair demonstrating the LCI. We conclude by discerning several promising paths for future development of the LCI

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis, available online at the link above.
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences
    Research Centres and Institutes: Birkbeck Centre for British Political Life
    Depositing User: Ben Worthy
    Date Deposited: 17 Dec 2018 15:13
    Last Modified: 13 Feb 2024 10:57
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/25532

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