Personality Politics? assesses the role that voters' perceptions and evaluations of leaders play in democratic elections. The book presents evidence from an array of countries with diverse historical and institutional contexts, and employs innovative methodologies to determine the importance of leaders in democracies worldwide.

POLITICAL OR NOT? WHERE DO LEADER EVALUATIONS COME FROM?; SYSTEMATIC OR NOT? WHEN DO LEADER EVALUATIONS MATTER?; SOPHISTICATES OR FOOLS? WHO TAKES LEADER EVALUATIONS INTO ACCOUNT?; COMPETENCE OR CHARACTER? WHAT ABOUT LEADERS MATTERS?

Based on a comparative study across 35 countries Develops unique insights into the importance of leader effects in different contexts and the consequences of personalisation of politics in the quality of democracy Covers in depth the period from the 1980s through to the 21st century

Marina Costa Lobo is a Political Science Researcher at the Social Sciences Institute of the University of Lisbon. Her research has focused on electoral behaviour and political institutions. She is co-director of the Portuguese Election Study since 2001. Recent publications include Portugal at the Polls (with A. Freire and P. Magalhães) and academic articles in Political Research Quarterly, European Journal of Political Research, Electoral Studies and Party Politics . John Curtice is a Professor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. He was co-director of the British Election Study from 1983 to 1997, is a former member of the steering committee of the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems Project, and has been a co-editor of the British Social Attitudes series since 1994. Recent publications include The Rise of New Labour (with A. Heath and R. Jowell) and Has Devolution Delivered? (ed. With C. Bromley, D. McCrone and A. Park).

Based on a comparative study across 35 countries Develops unique insights into the importance of leader effects in different contexts and the consequences of personalisation of politics in the quality of democracy Covers in depth the period from the 1980s through to the 21st century