Discussing the major theories of political leadership with a focus on contemporary challenges that political leaders face worldwide, this research companion provides a comprehensive and up-to-date resource for an international readership. The editors combine empirical and normative approaches to emphasize the centrality of political culture, as well as the limits of culture and the universal demands of innovative adaptation.

The volume examines:
• classical and contemporary theories of political leadership
• great leadership, both national and international
• politically influential religions and religious-political leadership
• social movements' leadership
• tensions between political leadership and other forms of leadership (e.g. judicial, corporate)
• postmodern and feminist challenges to traditional notions of political leadership

Above all, this volume is a guide for further research in political leadership theories, comparative case studies of political leadership, and the clarification of future contexts for political leadership.