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This article describes and reflects upon practical experiences in using simulations to increase the crisis preparedness of policy makers and government agencies in the Netherlands. Basic issues in crisis simulation design are discussed in view of the various functions that simulations may perform in crisis management planning. A concrete example of simulation is provided to explain its design and modus operandi. The article concludes with a number of practical recommendations.

This chapter surveys how the field has addressed the central puzzles of political leadership by discussing several key dichotomies that have been the focal point of scholarly inquiry and debate past and present: leaders and leadership; democrats and dictators; causes and consequences; actors and context; personal qualities and luck; success and failure; and art and science. The authors conclude that the study of leadership is a somewhat bewildering enterprise because there is no unified theory of leadership. There are too many definitions, and too many theories in too many disciplines. They do not agree on the meaning of leadership, on how to study it, or even why we study it. The subject is not just beset by dichotomies; it is also multifaceted, and essentially contested. Finally, the authors provide a brief conspectus of the Handbook.

Cover -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- List of Boxes -- Preface to the Second Edition -- 1 Introducing Public Leadership -- PUBLIC LEADERSHIP: PIVOTAL AND TRICKY -- DEFINITIONS -- STUDYING CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES -- STUDYING LEADERS -- STUDYING RELATIONSHIPS -- STUDYING INSTITUTIONS -- STUDYING CONTEXTS AND CONTINGENCIES -- SETTING THE STAGE -- 2 Varieties of Public Leadership -- COMBATTING AIR POLLUTION IN CHINA -- POLITICAL, ADMINISTRATIVE AND CIVIC LEADERSHIP -- EXERCISING PUBLIC LEADERSHIP: THE STRATEGIC TRIANGLE -- A PUBLIC LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT -- 3 Leadership as Relational Work -- FOLLOW THE LEADER? -- LEADERSHIP AS RELATIONSHIP -- FOLLOWERS AND FOLLOWERSHIP -- THE EBBS AND FLOWS OF LEADERSHIP AUTHORITY -- 4 Leading with Others -- TACKLING OBESITY TOGETHER -- SHARED LEADERSHIP -- MODES OF GOVERNING AND LEADERSHIP STYLES -- LEADERSHIP FOR COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE -- 5 Leading in Time -- THE TIME MAKETH THE LEADER? -- GRASPING TIME IN POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT -- LEADING IN POLITICAL TIME -- LEADING IN ORGANIZATIONAL TIME -- 6 Leading Change -- GHENT UNIVERSITY WANTS OUT OF THE RAT RACE -- COPING WITH CHANGE -- FORGING CHANGE BY LEADING FROM THE FRONT -- RECONSIDERING CHANGE LEADERSHIP -- 7 Leading in Crises -- THE HEAT OF CRISIS -- CRISES: REALITIES AND PERCEPTIONS -- CHALLENGES OF CRISIS LEADERSHIP -- PREPARING FOR THE INEVITABLE -- 8 Evaluating Public Leadership -- FROM HERO TO VILLAIN AND BACK -- CHALLENGES OF EVALUATION -- EVALUATION CRITERIA: THE ASSESSMENT TRIANGLE -- COMPLICATIONS AND CHALLENGES -- A PROPOSAL -- Appendix: Ten 'Must Reads' on Public Leadership -- Bibliography -- Index.

Despite their many failings and the perennial political controversies that surround them, governments sometimes 'get it right' in a big way. We can learn much from examining when and how this occurs. This book tells the story of 15 instances of highly successful government reforms, programmes, and projects from around the world.

"With so much media and political criticism of their shortcomings and failures, it is easy to overlook the fact that many governments work pretty well much of the time. Great Policy Successes turns the spotlight on instances of public policy that are remarkably successful. It develops a framework for identifying and assessing policy successes, paying attention not just to their programmatic outcomes but also to the quality of the processes by which policies are designed and delivered, the level of support and legitimacy they attain, and the extent to which successful performance endures over time. The bulk of the book is then devoted to 15 detailed case studies of striking policy successes from around the world, including Singapore's public health system, Copenhagen and Melbourne's rise from stilted backwaters to the highly liveable and dynamic urban centres they are today, Brazil's Bolsa Familia poverty relief scheme, the US's GI Bill, and Germany's breakthrough labour market reforms of the 2000s. Each case is set in context, its main actors are introduced, key events and decisions are described, the assessment framework is applied to gauge the nature and level of its success, key contributing factors to success are identified, and potential lessons and future challenges are identified. Purposefully avoiding the kind of heavy theorizing that characterizes many accounts of public policy processes, each case is written in an accessible and narrative style ideally suited for classroom use in conjunction with mainstream textbooks on public policy design, implementation, and evaluation.