Reform Leadership During the Eurozone Crisis: An Impossible Mission?

Abstract

Crises represent a phase of disorder in the normal development of a political system, but they could also open a window of opportunity to reform institutions and policies. Crises are, thus, normally seen as the appropriate environment for the emergence of charismatic leadership. However, charisma may not be enough to guarantee citizens'€™ support in a complex polity like the European Union. Plus, reform leadership could prove extremely difficult within a multilevel and potentially multi-leader system that normally rests on consensus. Building mainly on reform leadership literature, this article aims to assess European leadership during the Eurozone crisis, by providing an answer to the following questions: What are the sources of European leadership in this particular crisis? Are the conditions for an effective reform leadership fulfilled? How do the particularities of the EU polity constrain the exercise of leadership (when compared with the national level)? How does issue salience affect citizens's€™ assessment of European leadership?

Keywords: European Union, Leadership, Crisis, Reform