An index focused on measuring the support and development of political leaders as key democratic infrastructure in 10 countries worldwide, including Australia. It offers an evidence-based starting point for analysing the presence, quality, nature and public perception of the leaders at the centre of democracies – a key element of democratic health that lacks consistent global measurement. Germany ranks first in the inaugural index, followed by Australia. 

The index assesses political leadership systems across four dimensions:

1. formal political leadership development
2. institutional environment
3. political leadership ecosystem
4. public trust and confidence.

Key insights

• Several index countries have strong legal requirements for leadership training from political parties.
• Strong political leadership entrepreneur ecosystems and legislative support exist where formal party development systems are weakest. However, the provision of training and development to politicians varies widely.
• In most index countries, political training and development emphasises pre-election candidate preparation over ongoing professional development for sitting politicians. Germany is the exception.
• The United Kingdom demonstrates that political leadership training infrastructure needs to be agile to adapt to quickly changing political environments.
• Australia’s high rank in the index is led by its strong political leadership entrepreneur ecosystem. There is, however, very limited evidence of systematic party training.