SUNY series in Leadership Studies - Böcker

In today's world, national leaders have immense power to make decisions affecting millions of lives, both domestically and internationally. Yet questions about the performance of these leaders, and specifically what psychological or external factors determine whether they will be innovative and effective or will muddle through, have received surprisingly little attention.An introductory section presents main themes in the study of innovative leadership and in addition reviews the existing, inadequate state of our knowledge. The two subsequent sections further explore the basic questions through case studies of leaders in democratic systems and in transitional or authoritarian systems. By looking at the individual records of such major twentieth-century leaders as De Gaulle, Adenauer, Gandhi, Gorbachev, Sadat, and several American presidents, the authors contribute fresh insights about the particular leaders, consider how the type of system in which they functioned enhanced or constrained their innovativeness, and shed light on the broader questions of what factors encourage or inhibit successful innovation in the international sphere.

Examines ten important and controversial U.S. presidential foreign policy decisions in the post-World War II period, including one major controversy for each president from Truman to Clinton.Presidents and Foreign Policy examines countdowns to ten important and controversial decisions in the post-World War II period, using the case study approach. The authors include one major controversy for each president from Truman to Clinton. The cases cover central issues of diplomacy, war and peace, and covert action that shaped the Cold War period and its aftermath in all major areas of the world.After reviewing the historical background of each decision, each case examines the foreign and domestic policy context, the effectiveness of presidential decision-making, and results of the decision. The reader is challenged to think about each decision by responding to a unique evaluation scheme the authors developed and tested.

In a striking departure from past practices, Barbara Kellerman explores the fact that although we persist in viewing political and business leadership separately, the similarities between them far outweigh the differences. Kellerman claims that thinking of government and corporate leaders as a breed apart contributes to the dysfunctional gap between them, and she argues that in order to tackle those political, economic, and social problems that are the most intractable, political and business leaders will have no choice but to work together.

This is the first modern study of the veto. In addition to tracing the genesis and historical evolution from Ancient Rome, through the ultimate inclusion in the Constitution, it also explores the veto's consequences for modern presidents. In doing so, Spitzer promotes a key argument about the relation between the veto power and the Presidency - namely, that the rise of the veto power, beginning with the first Chief Executive, is symptomatic of the rise of the strong modern Presidency, and has in fact been a major tool of Presidency-building.A special and revealing irony of the veto power is seen in the finding that, despite its monarchical roots and anti-majoritarian nature, the veto has become a key vehicle for presidents to appeal directly to, and on behalf of, the people. Thus, the veto's utility for presidents arises not only as a power to use against Congress, but also as a symbolic, plebiscitary tool.