Place, power and leadership: Insights from mayoral governance and leadership innovation in Bristol, UK

This article aims to enhance understanding of the role of place in urban leadership by examining the way leadership changed significantly following the introduction of mayoral governance into a UK city. In 2012, 10 cities in England held referendums to decide whether to introduce a directly elected mayor model of leadership. Bristol was the only city to vote in favour of this radical change, and the Bristol Civic Leadership Project, set up before the first mayor was elected in November 2012, was designed to discover what differences the directly elected mayor model might make to the leadership and governance of a city. This article addresses two important questions: (1) Does the institutional design of local governance in a place influence leadership effectiveness? (2) How, if at all, do the leadership styles of the individual elected as mayor affect the quality of place-based governance? The article identifies three main reasons why place is important in public policy – expression of identity, strengthening democracy and enhancing governmental effectiveness – and considers how the leadership innovations in Bristol engage with these three dimensions of place. As well as presenting evidence documenting how bold civic leadership has transformed the governance of a particular British city, the article contributes to leadership studies by exploring the relationships between place, power and leadership.

Civic leadership, emotions and social change: decolonial ethnographic research on an American Indian non-profit organisation

The non-profit sector in the United States (US) plays a key role in reproducing racism and classism. These two systems of oppression within non-profits mirror colonialism since their agendas and decisions about their implementation are made by elites rather than by people directly affected by the issues at hand. Through a case study of a Native American non-profit organisation in the north-west of the US, this article explores how emotions, particularly the processes through which people regulate emotions, can be used as resources for social change. Drawing on decolonial theory and combining critical non-profit and leadership studies, the research included observations, the gathering of artefacts and 13 interviews/conversations with individuals and groups. This article offers leadership strategies and actions for decolonising structures of the non-profit sector using emotions as assets for meaning-making, communication and resistance. Two central findings emerge: (a) emotions can change the dominant script; and (b) emotions can be used to resist, raise voices and contribute to social change. These findings bring new perspectives and nuances to better understand public leadership within postcolonial societies and are especially relevant for non-profit organisations led by marginalised social groups that have initiated collective struggles of social change to decolonise American society.

How to Host a Civic Leadership Academy on Your Campus

This article explains how to design and host a Civic Leadership Academy on a college campus. The author provides detailed advice regarding topics, speakers, and central talking points, while also guiding readers through a series of questions they should ask—and answer—before hosting their own leadership academy. The academy covers a wide range of topics appropriate for campus and off-campus audiences, ranging from novices to experienced civic activists. Topics include: critical thinking, fake news, contacting elected officials, the policymaking process, protesting, and community problem solving. The model can be adopted in whole or in part, and the author provides added value by incorporating hyperlinks to key resources, including actual footage of all six academy sessions described. This brief article provides everything one needs to know about hosting a successful Civic Leadership Academy on their campus.

Response from the Roots

This chapter profiles two classic bands tied deeply to Haiti’s Vodou roots, Boukman Eksperyans and RAM. Both bands are active and revered on the global popular music circuit and have also been instrumental in leading grassroots resistance to abuses of power and authority in Haiti. More than thirty years after their respective musical debuts, the leaders of both groups have become pillars of the music scene and respected figures in society far beyond their music celebrity status. In many regards, both ensembles have established models for civic leadership through their musical activities, and both are well recognized for their politically and socially engaged music. This chapter explores how Boukman Eksperyans and RAM have infused their music with principles of Vodou metaphysics and Haitian cultural values, albeit in different ways. It also describes how the respective bandleaders situate their musical and non-musical work in the larger scheme of Haitian politics and culture.