Leadership in Grand Coalitions: Comparing Angela Merkel and Kurt Georg Kiesinger

Abstract

A comparison between the Kiesinger Grand Coalition government of 1966–69 with the Merkel Grand Coalition government of 2005–09 provides an interesting laboratory for hypotheses on executive leadership. This article argues that although there are some strong similarities between the two Chancellors' leadership style and executive effectiveness, there are also some small, not insignificant differences. Since the constraints of a Grand Coalition per se cannot account for such differences, what can? Using an intersectional approach, the article explores the impact of Merkel's and Kiesinger's biographies, including gender, on their leadership styles as well as on their relative successes and failures as Chancellors of Grand Coalitions. Gender in particular seems to have played some role in the expectations observers had about how dominant a leader Merkel should be. Nevertheless, it is argued that other factors – such as the circumstances in which Grand Coalitions originate, the presence of ‘party stars’ in the cabinet, and the Chancellor's control over her/his party – also help explain leadership styles and policy outcomes within the constraints of a Grand Coalition.