4: Elected Mayors as Local Leaders?

The English mayoralty gained its inspiration from experience in Europe, the United States and other countries where executive mayors have long been in place. There is no doubt that mayors in England were modelled on international experience, but whether it represents a successful example of ‘policy transfer’ (e.g., Cairney, 2020) is a difficult question. Adopting governance structures from one country does not mean that the cultural or leadership traits of that country are reproduced too. For example, the American emphasis upon strong individual leadership at both national and local levels does not always sit happily with the more collectivist or bureaucratic traditions of British political culture.