Australasian Political Studies Association Conference 2003
Hosted by the School of Government
University of Tasmania

Political Theory Stream

Political Leadership: Theorising the Great and the Good

John Uhr
Australian National University

Abstract:

Political theories of leadership generally lack historical depth. Theory about the standards for evaluating the leadership capacities of chief political executives is a case in point. This paper goes back to basics to recover the original analysis of political leadership in terms of the convergence of 'the great and the good' in positions of executive power. This analysis derives from the biting satire of English novelist Henry Fielding in response to the early emergence of the power of the British prime ministership, understood by Fielding as greatness without goodness. The aim of the paper is to use Fielding's analysis of public leadership to clarify the standard for genuine public leadership: greatness with goodness.