Leadership Model for Local Government Leaders in Benin

SUMMARY The objective of this research is to identify the typical leadership behavior of local government leaders that can help them better mobilize their team so that they can together provide adequate solutions for local development. Leadership theories and literature on African cultures were mobilized. The methodology followed is based on a mixed-methods approach (qualitative based on semi-structured interviews with a few mayors, and quantitative based on surveys conducted with communal councillors and commune staff) in order to identify the leadership behavior developed by local government leaders in Benin and to draw out the specificities related to the Beninese context. The results show that local government leaders in Benin engage in both transactional and transformational behaviors depending on their attachment to the local culture. Key words: transactional leadership, transformational leadership, culture, local development, decentralization, local government.