My new book, Ministerial Leadership, has just been published by Palgrave Macmillan as part of the Understanding Governance series edited by Rod Rhodes. More details can be found here.
In summary, Ministerial Leadership 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 leadership, public policy and governance.
I wrote a short blog on the INLOGOV site about the book on 12 February..
The Conversation has carried this article by me, based on material from the book.
The Australia/New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) has written this brief on a chapter from the book for their mailing, The Bridge.
There will be a couple of sessions at the 2024 Political Studies Association conference where the book will be discussed.