This article explores the puzzle of whether similar legislation in varying institutional contexts requires similar leaders. Specifically, it asks if it is possible to identify key characteristics of reform leadership cross-nationally. A case study of the leadership of John McCain in the United States and Ozawa Ichirō in Japan reveals that risk taking, vision and commitment, when combined with country-specific resources, proved decisive in allowing these leaders to overcome rational and structural constraints to pass campaign finance legislation in both countries. In contrast to structural or rational choice explanations of reform, this study reveals that constraints facing leaders are malleable. Moreover, quite surprisingly, the case study illustrates that the relevant personal attributes of effective leaders are similar for achieving reform while the political resources that aid leaders often differ due to the varying constraints posed by the distinct institutional contexts.
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