Innovative Leadership in Democracy: Policy Change Under Thatcher

This work evaluates the Thatcher governments and concludes that in some areas they demonstrated innovative leadership (in re-shaping some and exploiting changes on other popular attitudes, in circumventing and transcending the power of organized interests, in challenging government bureaucracies and local government, and in some adaptations to economic circumstances). In other areas they were constrained by social, governmental and economic factors. It explores the reasons for the radical policy changes achieved under Thatcher, concluding that they were in a large part due to relatively strong political will and a strong policy capacity enhanced by policy learning in office. The conclusions are intended to challenge central assumptions about democratic politics, British politics and public policy-making which tend