Abstract
This article provides a summary of the main findings emerging from a 'before' and 'after' action-research study of the impact on a city of introducing a directly elected mayor form of governance. The discussion shows how the introduction of mayoral governance into the City of Bristol in 2012 has had a significant impact on the governance of the city and suggests that, having a directly elected mayor has, so far, delivered a leadership advantage to the city.
Highlights
In debates about how to improve the leadership of local governance, the idea of introducing executive mayors, directly elected by popular vote, has gained many adherents
The following European countries have introduced directly elected mayors into their systems of local government: Slovakia (1990), Italy (1993), Germany, Hungary, Poland (2002) and the UK. Reformers favouring this model of local governance argue, inter alia, that directly elected mayors can provide visible, strong and accountable leadership – in short, they can provide a locality with a leadership advantage
Despite the unmistakable trend towards mayoral governance in a growing number of countries and notwithstanding the bold assertions made about the strengths of this leadership model, evaluation studies examining whether or not the claimed benefits materialise are thin on the ground
Summary
In debates about how to improve the leadership of local governance, the idea of introducing executive mayors, directly elected by popular vote, has gained many adherents. Despite the unmistakable trend towards mayoral governance in a growing number of countries and notwithstanding the bold assertions made about the strengths of this leadership model, evaluation studies examining whether or not the claimed benefits materialise are thin on the ground. In this short article, we report on an action-research project being carried out in Bristol, UK in an attempt to start filling this leadership research gap
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