Birth, Life and End of Collective Leadership

The chapter discusses how forms of political collective leadership may emerge and survive over time. The chapter begins by asking what the possible paths may be that lead a political party to adopt a dual or a multimember leadership. Next, it examines factors such as ideological predispositions and the need to merge different bodies together or simply maintain unity among different factions. Then, the chapter analyzes the role of the relationship between leadership partners. Does the existence of close personal relationships, such as family ties or strong friendships, favor the formation of plural leadership? Finally, the chapter deals with factors and circumstances that may increase the stability of collective arrangements or, in contrast, may expose them to dissolution, for instance, due to institutional and psychological factors or the existence of a personal bond.