Given the precarious health of democracies, Dark Politics is a generous contribution that deserves the most attention. The list of detrimental outcomes associated with dark leadership in contemporary politics is worrying and requires efficacious remedies.
Gian Vittorio Caprara, Sapienza University of Rome
What do political leaders as apparently diverse as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Rodrigo Duterte have in common? This book advances the notion that they share a trio of similar inherent personality traits-including narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, which forms the central notion of 'dark politicians'. In a global comparison, using cross-national expert assessments and experimental data, Nai and Maier's study provides fresh insights into the leadership pathologies undermining liberal democracies today.
Pippa Norris, Harvard University
Nai and Maier provide a novel and fascinating account of the relevance of politicians' personality traits for democratic engagement and representation. Moreover, they demonstrate the prevalence of "dark" traits amongst elected officials and offer a timely warning about some of the correlates of dark politicians, including negativity and incivility, polarization and cynicism, and democratic deconsolidation.
Stuart Soroka, University of California, Los Angeles