2019/11/01 by Daniel Krcmaric, Stephen C. Nelson, Andrew Roberts · 1 voice · 10 citations
Social Sciences · #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Gender Diversity and Inequality #Gender Politics and Representation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-050718-032801
openalex publication_date 2019/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
The last two decades have seen a revival in work that takes the role of individual leaders and elites seriously. This article surveys new research that explores how biographical factors influence their behavior. We call this literature the personal biography approach to political leadership. Our survey first lays out four mechanisms through which biographical characteristics might affect leader behavior. We then discuss the main findings, grouping them according to socializing experiences (e.g., education, military service, and prior occupation) and ascriptive traits (e.g., gender, race, and ethnicity). We also consider the methodological problems, especially endogeneity and selection effects, that pose challenges to this style of research. We conclude with an assessment of gaps in the literature and provide suggestions for future work in the biographical vein.