Does Stronger Political Leadership Have a Performance Payoff? Citizen Satisfaction in the Reform of Subcentral Governments in England

An influential literature in urban political and public management debates whether political leadership, in particular the form of council government in the United States, can improve policy and other outcomes by providing coordination, control, and facilitation. The article tests whether stronger political leadership affects citizen satisfaction through the direct connection of leaders to citizens even when the possible effect of policy performance is controlled for. In addition, the article investigates whether majority and coalition governments mediate the impact of leadership. The data are drawn from English local authorities following a reform in 2000 that created separate executive bodies in councils and gave powers to political leaders. The analysis uses regression models on survey data from the English principal local authorities. The article concludes that leader powers predict citizen satisfaction but that single-party majority government does not. The article adds to the literature on the impact of the form of council government by setting out the mechanisms whereby leadership translates to positive citizen outcomes. 强势政治领导是否付诸绩效表现?以英国市民对地方政府改革的满意度为例 摘要 在城市政治和公共管理学领域有一项重要的理论争论——政治领导力,特别是美国的市议会(Council Government),是否能够通过统筹监管来改善公共政策和服务。本文旨在验证在考虑预计政绩的前提下,强化政治领导力和增加领导与公众的直接互动是否可以提高公众对政府的满意度。我们收集了2000年以来英格兰地方政府的数据。2000年英格兰施行行政改革,引入了行政机构与市议会分立的制度,并且赋予政治领导更多的权力。我们对英格兰主要地方政府(Principal Local Authorities)的调研数据进行了回归分析。我们得出如下结论:政治权力可以解释公众对市政的满意度,但是一党多数政府的情况是一个例外。本文的理论贡献在于, 本文还探讨了在不同的市政体制下,政治领导如何转化为公众信任。