The European mayor - Political leaders in the changing context of local democracy

Henry Bäck - University of Gothenburg, School of Public Administration

Rikke Berg - University of Southern Denmark, Department of Political Science

David Sweeting - University of the West of England, Faculty of the Built Environment

Vicki Johansson - University of Gothenburg, School of Public Administration

Folke Johansson - University of Gothenburg, Department of Political Science

David Karlsson - University of Gothenburg, School of Public Administration

Franz Fallend - University of Salzburg, Department of Political Science and Sociology

Herwig Reynaert - Ghent University, Department of Political Science

Kristof Steyvers - Ghent University, Department of Political Science

Zdenka Vajdová - Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Michal Illner - Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Ulrik Kjaer - University of Southern Denmark, Department of Political Science

Eric Kerrouche - Sciences Po Bordeaux

Hubert Heinelt - Technical University of Darmstadt, Department of Political Science

Björn Egner - Technical University of Darmstadt, Department of Political Science

Michael Haus - Technical University of Darmstadt, Department of Political Science

Nikos Hlepas - National University, Athens, Department of Political Science and Public Administration

Panagiotis Getimis - Panteion University, Athens, Department for Regional Economy and Development

Gabor Soós - Tocqueville Research Center, Budapest

Gyorgyi Ignits - Tocqueville Research Center, Budapest

Paula Russell - University College Dublin, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy

Annick Magnier - University of Florence, Department of Political Science and Sociology

Pippo Russo - University of Florence, Department of Political Science and Sociology

Chiara Zanoccoli - University of Florence, Department of Political Science and Sociology

Giovanna Cutrone - University of Florence, Department of Political Science and Sociology

Irene Borselli - University of Florence, Department of Political Science and Sociology

Nicola Malloggi - University of Florence, Department of Political Science and Sociology

Clemente J. Navarro Yanez - Pablo de Olavide University of Seville, Social Work and Social Services

Bas Denters - Department of Political Science and Research Methods, Politicologie en Onderzoeksmethoden

Harry Daemen - Erasmus University Rotterdam

Pawel Swianiewicz - Warsaw University, Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies

Manuel da Silva e Costa - Minho University

José Pinheiro Neves - Minho University

Jean Dominique Ackle - Minho University

Carlos Alba - Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Department of Political Science

Carmen Navarro - Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Department of Political Science

Daniel Kübler - Zurich University, Institute of Political Science

Pascal Michel - University of Lausanne, Institute for Political and International Studies

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Major structural changes have been taking place in European local government systems around the turn of the millennium. Changes that have already had substantial consequences for local political leadership and are likely to bring about further change in the future. A number of such restructuring trends are sweeping over the continent, but from different starting points, at varying pace and in various mixed configurations. The research was designed to assess how, by playing on these different contexts, the restructuring trends and reforms inscribed in the wider framework of increasing global exchanges impact on the concept and praxis of political representation at local level. Four different trends of change are in focus: structural transformations in terms of privatisation, contracting out and general mimicry of private sector institutional arrangements ('New Public Management'); changes in central-local relations, most often in form of decentralisation, whereby new tasks have been allocated to the local level; the importance of political parties; internal institutional arrangements of local authorities. Central topics in the study are recruitment processes, perspectives on democracy, leadership styles, networks, intergovernmental relations, the importance of the party system and horizontal power relations in the local government organization. Show less..