Majesteitelijk en magistratelijk: De Nederlandse burgemeester en de staat van het ambt (The Dutch Mayoral Office: Monarchical and Magisterial)

Don’t call me a leader, but I am one: The Dutch mayor and the tradition of bridging-and-bonding leadership in consensus democracies

“…The second most important role for the Dutch mayor is that of ‘ verbinder ’, or liaison, meaning a person who brings together people and who establishes and maintains good working relations between them ( Svara, 1987 ). This role emphasis is also typical for Dutch mayors in their role as chairmen of the municipal council and the executive board ( Karsten et al., 2014 ). Thirdly, Dutch mayors see themselves as the spokesmen for their municipalities, again in a non-partisan and non-political way.…”

“…Mayors in consensus democracies do not show decide-and-accomplish leadership like, for example, former NYC-mayor Bloomberg ( Barber, 2013 : 25–28), but bridging-and-bonding leadership, and in the particular case of the Dutch mayor ‘democratic guardianship’. This leadership role is seen to be crucial for the authority and effectiveness of Dutch mayors, not only in the past but also nowadays ( Karsten et al., 2014 ). A clear illustration is provided by former Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen after the assassination of prominent publicist Theo van Gogh in 2004.…”

“…This executive board operates as a formal collective decision-making body, which means that mayors have very little individual decision-making power. In case of conflict, mayors have the deciding vote, but this right is almost never exercised because mayors are expected to follow the lead of the majority of the board or of the responsible alderman ( Karsten et al., 2014 ). Further, for the execution of most of their tasks, Dutch mayors greatly depend on the political support of the popularly elected municipal council.…”

Not Biting the Hand That Feeds You: How Perverted Accountability Affects the Ethical Leadership of Dutch Mayors

“…Mayors who give in to illegitimate accountability pressures were said to have handled situations in the wrong way, to have weak personalities or of being overly self-preoccupied. The prevailing opinion throughout the focus groups was that the position of mayor was "not suitable for people who are afraid' (Karsten et al, 2014). One mayor illustrated this by referring to his own behavior, saying: I invited this councilor to a one-on-one conversation, and told him that I took offence at him for frequently leaking confidential information.…”

Sources of Contemporary Authority for Mayors: Pinning Down Modern Political Authority in Relation to Executivess Role Orientation

“…This can be explained by the fact that as compared to the other mayoral roles, both these roles are to a large extent shaped by local circumstances. Moral guides and visionaries need a stronger political-administrative backing than other types of mayors (Karsten, Schaap, Hendriks, van Zuydam & Leenknegt, 2014). Also, these two types of mayors place comparatively high value on their leadership style, their expertise and the way in which they execute their policies.…”