Analyzing Political Leadership - Winter 2025-26

Flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture on political leadership.

Leadership

The act of guiding or directing a group, which can be understood in positional, relational, or normative contexts.

Democratic Elitism

A theory that maximizes the role of leaders while minimizing the influence of public opinion, maintaining competitive elections.

Pluralism

A theory that emphasizes open competition among diverse groups for influence, involving cooperation among group elites.

Populism

A political approach wherein a leader symbolizes or instantiates the will of the people against the elite or represents in-group versus out-group dynamics.

Egalitarianism

A belief that minimizes hierarchy and domination by distributing leadership and promoting 'citizen leaders'.

High degree of dispersed power

A characteristic of democratic political leadership that involves the distribution of power among various stakeholders.

Public scrutiny

The process of holding leaders accountable through observation and evaluation by the public.

Agency vs. Structure

A debate concerning whether individual leaders' choices (agency) or larger contextual forces (structure) determine political outcomes.

Great Man Theory of Leadership

A perspective that emphasizes individual leaders' influence on historical events, suggesting great leaders shape the course of history.

Social History

An approach that focuses on social structures and contexts rather than individual agency, in examining historical developments.