Andrews L. Ministerial Leadership. Practice, Performance and Power

Palgrave Macmillan, 2024. — 540 p.Ministerial Leadership - Practice, Performance and Power by Leighton Andrews offers a practice-based account of how ministers in UK governments perform their roles and exercise leadership in their spaces of activity. Drawing on the unique Ministers Reflect archive of the Institute for Government, which is an open and growing resource of over 140 ministerial interviews at UK and devolved government levels, as well as other ministerial reflections, the book addresses the literature on ministerial life and political leadership, and develops new concepts for examining ministerial leadership in different spheres. It argues that the relationship between ministers and civil servants has changed significantly in recent decades, as ministers place greater emphasis on delivery and implementation. The book adopts a theoretically pluralist approach with the intention of offering a valuable teaching aid for existing and new courses. It will appeal to all those interested in public policy and governance.If you want to understand ministerial leadership and performance, you can do no better than reading this book. Combining a unique multi-disciplinary approach with personal experience, Leighton Andrews has written a real Tour de Force on how ministers’ roles have developed. Highly recommended. This book is a very considerable intellectual achievement. It combines a wide-ranging grasp of key theoretical concepts in the study of government and leadership with invaluable insights gleaned from interviews with Ministers. This extremely valuable approach offers huge insight into the everyday life of ministers in our system of government.Table of ContentsPart I Theorizing Ministerial LeadershipIntroduction: Why a Book on Ministerial Leadership?Ministering: Ministerial Leadership in PracticeThe Ministerial Role: Activism and AgencyPart II The Ministerial Identity and MindsetBecoming a MinisterShaping the Ministerial MindsetTime ControlPart III Performing Ministerial LeadershipLeading the DepartmentThe Orchestrated Collective Leadership of GovernmentMinisters Decide?Gender and Ministering?On the Circuit: The System Leadership of MinistersMinisterial PerformanceThe Emergence of the Delivery-Focused MinisterPart IV After Ministerial LeadershipLosing Ministerial Office: Political Natality, Political Mortality, and the Ministerial Life-CycleThe Political is PersonalConclusion: Learning About Ministerial LeadershipBibliography
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