Legislative Leadership: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

This paper examines the degree to which legislative leaders in the modern era are expected to expend energy on public relations, campaign activities, and interaction with other government officials, perhaps at the expense of more traditional institutional activities, and how this expenditure has changed over the history of core leadership positions. The internal and external responsibilities of legislators in positions of leadership are also examined as well as the inherent costs associated with the multifaceted and contextual relationships that leaders establish with their members. The conclusions that can be drawn from this review underscore the importance of membership environment in explaining and defining successful leadership, and encourage further study of the effects of these contextual and ever-changing relationships on successful legislative leadership.