The leadership model and the use of public participation instruments. The case of polish municipalities

Abstract

The aim of the article is to describe and evaluate the relationship between the leadership model implemented by the executive bodies of Polish municipalities and the use of public participation instruments. The author focuses on the executive bodies of the municipalities due to their significant position in the structure of local government. The main hypothesis adopted in the paper assumes that the use of public participation instruments depends on the style of local leadership. The mayors who are both formal leaders and social leaders tend to incorporate participatory mechanisms in local governance processes more often than those who are only formal leaders. The theoretical framework of the article is determined by the theories of transformational and participative leadership. The article was based on survey research and in-depth interviews. The research results show no clear differences between the scope of applied instruments of participation and the type of leadership. The scale of social support has little impact on the scope of applied mechanisms of participation.

Keywords

• local leadership
• transformational leadership
• participative leadership
• public participation
• social leader