Institutional Environments and Mayors’ Role Perceptions

Abstract

The role of mayors and their role perception may depend on the changing role of local governments, different national institutional settings, and recruitment patterns. This chapter presents an analysis of the most significant changes among European mayors in terms of their role perceptions over the past decade. In this respect, the chapter examines mayors’ role perceptions in relation to the changing role of local governments. Furthermore, the question is addressed whether role perceptions of mayors are affected by different forms of their election and institutionally defined horizontal power relations at the municipal level throughout Europe, including recruitment patterns of mayors.