Conceptualizing the executive mayoralty as a pseudo-event: a comparative investigation of a new trend in municipal leadership

ABSTRACT

This paper assesses a new trend and details how the executive mayoralty in the UK has morphed into a tool that allows politicians to advance their respective political agenda and generate images of achievement by exerting their leverage with the national media. Drawing on Boorstin's concept of pseudo-events as an interpretive prism it is argued that in a range of countries the executive mayoralty has for years been used by high-profile mayors to build personal reputation, retain or create party political loyalty and enhance support among the electorate. As a result the mayoral office becomes more appealing to politicians who intend to attain high office and look for a way to make their names and policies widely recognized with voters nationally. Thus municipal leadership in the UK constitutes an alternative route for politicians who aspire to party leadership or ministerial office.

KEYWORDS:

• Pseudo-event
• political communication
• municipal politics
• executive mayor
• communication management
• political PR

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Christian Schnee, After graduating in history and politics from the Universities of York (UK) and Illinois (USA). Christian Schnee worked as press secretary for the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) in Germany, served as director of government communications in Hamburg and subsequently as departmental head of the think tank Konrad Adenauer Foundation. He lives in London where he teaches political communication, media and politics.