Social Psych Q: Does leadership style influence the growth and progress of its constituents, global scale?

[Pansy]

We know of leadership styles to be authoritative, authoritarian, and laisez faire. In a democratic classroom or home environment, an authoritarian teacher or parent will involve the children in options for consideration as means to encourage independent but controlled thinking and behavior. This environment would theoretically increase motivation, learning, and progress intellectually, emotionally, and socially. There are causes and effects of leadership in practical interplay, such as the "strict" and "inflexible" parents producing rebellion in their children.
On a more global scale, countries with authoritarian regimes do poorly in every way--economically, intellectually, artistically, etc. Examples are many third world countries against global liberalism and market-oriented economy. Fervent religiosity also impact negatively on intellectual and social growth in Islamic and fundamentalist christian sects around the world. These are just facts, aren't they, and not judgment.
Authoritarian leadership fails to understand the negative energy it bestows its people and it's counterinfluence it actually has. Why do parents micromanage, smack their children, and stifle their kids in an attempt to control and better them only to have them rebel and become the devil's worst nightmare? And the authoritarian regimes exert such control by force the country people starve?

The answer is really not thirst for power alone. Do you think I am partly correct when I presume the less intelligent leader impacts in a authoritarian manner and produces like-minded followers?

[dolcebellafresca]

Yes. Look at Bush and the mess he has the US in..I rest my case.

[Generalist]

This question is deeply felt and well considered.
There are so many facets that it is difficult to pick from the storm of considerations.
Islam did better than Europe at the time when Europe was a set of warring absolute monarchies and became frozen in time under the Ottoman Empire. The Renaissance distributed individuality concepts and blew the lid off the world.
Philosophies that foster contributing to others, rather than controlling them, produce far greater results in almost all environments. That is true for the individual as well as groups up the scale of size.
Fear and intimidation engender frozen learning. Contributing to people's development produces superior results.

[Jan Stolz]

In answer to your final question; Absolutely. We have but to look at our present administration as evidence. All concerned are of a like mind-set and intelligence. And look what that has done for the people of the United States.