Elite Transformation Research Articles

From periphery to centre and back again: elite transformations in Mechelen (fourteenth to sixteenth centuries)

AbstractThis article explores the social history of the political elites of Mechelen, a town that evolved from a seigneurial enclave within the duchy of Brabant to the de facto capital of the Burgundian–Habsburg Low Countries between the 1470s and 1530. Proceeding from a quantitative analysis of lists of aldermen, fiscal registers and epitaphs, the article argues that the short-lived functioning of Mechelen as a capital city had great impact on its ruling classes. Mechelen was traditionally ruled by a coalition of craft guilds and prominent citizens, but the latter reoriented their social networks to the court elite, as the latter's presence supercharged pre-existing trends towards ennoblement among the urban elite.

Элитаристский дискурс справедливости: современные концепции и Россия

<p>В статье на примере концепций двух влиятельных авторов второй половины XX в. — социологов Майкла Янга и Дэниела Белла — анализируется идея меритократии — власти наиболее достойных, наиболее заслуженных.</p><p>Рассматриваются основные идеи знаменитой книги (антиутопии) М. Янга «Возвышение меритократии». Охарактеризованы основные этапы становления меритократического общества в антиутопии Янга. Показано, что основная проблема меритократии в изображении британского социолога — ее морально-этические изъяны, которые приводят в результате к классовому конфликту и последующему кризису и падению меритократии. С точки зрения автора статьи, более привлекательным выглядит социальный идеал, обрисованный Янгом, в рамках которого «общество талантов» понимается не как сугубо технократическое, а как подлинное общество равных возможностей.</p><p>Показано, что Д. Белл считает меритократию неотъемлемым атрибутом постиндустриального общества, однако учитывает критику этой идеи в работах М. Янга и Д. Ролза. Поэтому подлинная меритократия у Белла — это «справедливая меритократия», сочетающая равное уважение всех с отличием некоторых (наиболее достойных).</p><p>Изучены взгляды на проблему меритократии в современной России. Автор опирается главным образом на анализ российской ситуации у отечественного элитолога Г. К. Ашина. Он показывает, что элитные трансформации в постсоветской России, значительно изменив некоторые важные характеристики элиты, не изменили главного — ее морального облика.</p><p>В заключение автор указывает, что меритократия обязательно должна сочетаться с развитыми демократическими механизмами, для того чтобы избежать отчуждения народа от власти.</p>

An urban studies approach to elites: nurturing conceptual rigor and methodological pluralism

ABSTRACTThis special issue offers a set of methodologies to chart urban elites. Whereas most research has focused on the global super-rich, the authors in this special issue pay specific attention to the multidimensional urban geographies of elite reproduction and transformation, as elites depend on urban contexts for capital accumulation, consumption and leisure, and housing. In this article, we discuss theoretical and methodological antecedents in urban studies that have investigated economic elites. Building on but moving beyond these bodies of literature, we reject a-priori definitions of the size and shape of this social group and propose to pursue relational, place specific conceptualizations of elite composition and behavior. In particular, we argue, urban elite research would benefit from paying more attention to: (i) boundary work between elites and non-elites; (ii) intra-elite competition and distinction; (iii) national state spaces in determining elite composition; and (iv) the urban sense of belonging of economic elites.

Advocacy coalition impacts on healthy public policy-oriented learning in Alberta, Canada (2009–2016): A difference-in-differences analysis

Since 2009, the Alberta Policy Coalition for Chronic Disease Prevention (APCCP) has pursued policy, systems, and environmental change strategies engaging policy elites to promote healthy public policy for chronic disease prevention in Alberta, Canada. Employing Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) vocabulary to facilitate our analysis, we examined whether concerted advocacy by the APCCP shifted elites' belief system structures over an eight year period compared to the general public as a baseline, by fostering healthy public policy-oriented learning. As data for the study, we employed a trend design series of cross-sectional Chronic Disease Prevention Surveys in Alberta, Canada between 2009 and 2016, comparing policy elite responses in 2009 (n = 183) and 2016 (n = 174) with general public responses in 2010 (n = 1203) and 2016 (n = 1200). Drawing on four scales developed in a published exploratory factor analysis, we examined changes in elite versus public beliefs with respect to (i) behavioral etiology, (ii) socio-ecological etiology, (iii) individual responsibility, and (iv) societal responsibility. Each scale was analyzed for reliability using Cohen's alpha (α), tested for sample mean (μ) value differences with analysis of variance (ANOVA) (p < .05), and compared between groups over time using difference-in-differences analysis. Cohen's alphas above approximately 0.700 indicated acceptable scale reliability (0.692≤α ≤ 0.879). ANOVA testing indicated significant group mean difference for every scale but societal responsibility among elites (μ2009 = 13.2, μ2016 = 13.7; p = .06). Standardized beta coefficients (β) presented significant differences between elites and the public for three of four scales, excepting behavioral etiology (β = −0.009, p = .746). In ACF terms, transformation of elites' policy core beliefs is necessary, but not sufficient, for major policy change such as healthy public policy. Spanning provincial policy communities relevant to whole-of-government intervention for chronic disease prevention, our results provide evidence to support the plausibility of long term socio-ecological strategies aiming to foster policy-oriented learning among elites by advocacy coalitions like the APCCP.

The Universities and Elite Formation and Transformation in Kosovo

Abstract This research aims to explore the relationship between the universities and political elite formation based on the case study of Kosovo. The key questions raised throughout the research are; how do the universities influence the formation of the political elites and how were the elites changed throughout time? Analysing these relationships in different periods, each with a different impact on the elite building processes, namely from the establishment of the University of Prishtina until recently. Central assumption here is that higher education institutions were the catalyst in the transformation of the political elites. Being a vital source of power, a control over it represents also a struggle for power between the rival forces with different political outcomes. Theoretical framework consists of John Higley approach on the elite formation, based in the context of post-conflict and divided society, such as Kosovo case.

Transformation of political elite as regime changes in Pakistan

ABSTRACTBurton and Higely [(2001). ‘The study of political elite transformations’, International review of sociology/Revue internationale de sociologie, 11(2): 181–199] argue that when elites of a society are not united this will lead to an unstable political regime. Consensual elite cohesion is only created through distinctive elite transformation. This essay attempts to elaborate their argument in Pakistan, by developing a link among a continuous regime shift from authoritarian to democratic governments and the political elites who keep transforming their structure accordingly. The technique followed for it is analysing the epochal events over time from pre-partition till date which became reason for regime transformations. The discussion focuses on the collusions and contestations of multiple power elites within given social context which are embedded under the international context. It concludes that political elites in Pakistan were always embraced by multiple other power elites who accordingly hold dual elite identity to control the command post in the political arena. Such complex elite structure makes it paradoxical to distinguish political elite of Pakistan from other power elites of Pakistan.

The Educational Attainment of Chinese Provincial Leaders in Reforming China, 1990–2013: A Longitudinal Examination

Despite the surge in interest in the educational attainment of Chinese political leaders over the past decade, previous studies have primarily focused on the highest educational degree obtained. There is a paucity of quantitative assessment on the educational dynamics of Chinese political leaders. This article attempts to trace the educational trajectories of 1,891 Chinese provincial leaders from 1990 to 2013 by distinguishing full-time education from the highest educational status attained, and by delineating the route of educational advancement. The interpretation of the empirical findings is able to better explain the elite transformation of provincial leaders in reform-era China and the corresponding changing political legitimacy.

University of Prishtina and Elite Transformation in Socialism and 19900s

University of Prishtina and Elite Transformation in Socialism and 19900s

Trends of Democratization of the Macedonian Parliamentary Elite in Seven Mandates

The aim of this paper is to be determined the trends of democratization of the Macedonian parliamentary elite in seven parliamentary terms from 1991 to 2011. The democratization of parliamentary elites is defined as process of giving opportunities to more social group to enter to the parliament. The method of detection of democratization trends is applied by using indicators that measure a few aspects of transformation of parliamentary elites as the number of political parties in the parliament, the percent of female members of parliament, the percent of MPs representatives of ethnic minorities in parliament, the percent of elected young MPs under the age of 40, and the percent of MPs with maximum repeated parliamentary mandates. The results of investigation showed trends in growth of democratization process of the Macedonian parliamentary elite in seven mandates. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6s1p341

The transformation of rural elites in late medieval Flanders: oligarchy, state formation and social change in the Liberty of Bruges (c. 1350–c. 1525)

AbstractProceeding from an in-depth analysis of the Liberty of Bruges, an important rural district in the late medieval Low Countries, this contribution frames rural elite formation by means of two debates which are seldom used in combination, namely, the debates on state building and on the commercialisation of rural society. We challenge the thesis, inspired by modernisation theory, that socio-economic transformation engendered political change in pre-modern Europe as newly emerging rural bourgeoisies are alleged to have become an important political factor, shifting their allegiances between lords and peasants as they saw fit. The evidence discussed shows instead a trend towards oligarchy from the fifteenth century onwards, in which an increasingly exclusive social network came to combine hitherto separated forms of political power, largely at the expense of the growing number of wealthy rural bourgeois. It is argued that this transformation of the rural political elites is closely tied to changes in the established relations between the central government and the regional elites of the Low Countries.

The slow transformation of Swiss federal administrative elites

This article sets out to study the profile of Swiss administrative elites at federal level by showing how their profile has evolved in the light of what has come to be known as the wave of New Public Management (NPM), which has benefited from a very fertile ground in Switzerland. These elites correspond to a specific institutional order, in relation to specific organizational structures and workings, and have specific characteristics in terms of career paths and academic background. However, the administrative reforms that have been rolled out since the 1980s have transformed the institutional order within which executives of the federal administration evolve. This article analyses the extent to which these transformations have had an impact on the characteristics of these elites, through indicators such as academic capital, social capital, and career path within and outside the administration. The results show a slow but significant transformation in the profiles of these elites towards an increasing managerialization, reflecting that of the context in which they evolve. Points for practitioners The relationship between politics and the administration is naturally shaped by individuals but is closely dependent on the profiles of the players. They are currently undergoing a transformation in the wake of administrative reforms, and also of the changing profiles of both the political and administrative players. Gaining an insight into the slow transformation of the profiles of administrative elites therefore sheds light on the political-administrative nexus. The gradual managerialization of the administrative elite highlighted in this article also allows for a better understanding of which professional experiences, qualifications and skills are valued today within the senior civil service in Switzerland.

Структура сетей политических элит Республики Польша в 1993—2013 годах

To identify the structure of network ties within Polish political elites; to study the features of network ties formation and the impact that both primary and labour socialisation periods and diaspora characteristics have on this process; to describe the structural features of the resultant network structures over different periods of time and analyse the structural dynamics of political elites for the purpose of forecasting major trends in the structural transformation of Polish political elites. In the course of the study, biographical data on the presidents, ministers, advisors, and party leaders of the Republic of Poland was collected and processed. The work follows the network analysis paradigm and identifies the dynamics of the key network parameters: distance, density, transitivity, and compactness. The author analyses the dynamics of representation in the structure of political territorial diaspora elites, business community members, and ‘moral politicians’. The article identifies two periods of formation of political party networks in Poland: the first period (1993—2007) saw a transition from rather weakly integrated systems to high density and cohesion networks as early as the second electoral cycle, after which a gradual decrease in the key indices of network integration was registered. A new peak of network cohesion and integration was reached in 2007—2011; however, the death of some key members of political elites in a plane crash resulted in a decrease in the network integration indices to the level of 2001—2005. On the whole, the network structure of Polish political elite is characterised by unstable dynamics relating to the crisis events of the past. However, it is established that the elites have a pronounced diaspora core and an unstable periphery; the share of businesspeople directly participating in political processes is decreasing, whereas ‘moral politicians’ usually take an active part in the formation of political elites.

The Arab Spring: challenges to the US Middle East policy

This study argues that the Arab World and the larger Middle East region are politically, strategically, and economically significant in the US foreign policy formulation. However, the 2011 Arab Spring poses serious challenges to Washington’s interests and policy in the region. The Arab Spring entails political elite transformation in the Arab countries of the Middle East region. The Arab Spring could sweep into power the Arab nationalists and the Islamists. In the democratic Middle East, the effectiveness of the State of Israel card as the only democratic state will diminish. The study concludes that unless Washington in search of new allies adopts the approach of constructive engagement and inclusive democracy in the larger Middle East region, Iran will exploit the Arab street protests and thwart USA’s interests and stability in the region.

Transgenic Varieties: Sugarbeet

The development and market introduction of H7-1, the first commercially relevant transgenic sugarbeet, is described. A gene which sequence had been modified to code for a glyphosate-insensitive 5-enolpyrovylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) was transferred to sugarbeet cells using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Plants were regenerated from such cells and were submitted to rigorous testing of their molecular, physiological, agronomic, and ecological properties. Data from these analyses constituted the basis for the legal deregulation of an elite transformation event. As results of this registration process permits for the cultivation of H7-1 have been issued in the USA, Canada, and Japan. For import purposes, food and feed utilization permits are in place in more than 15 countries, including the EU. H7-1 plants were used as starting material for the development of varieties adapted to the respective agronomical requirements of the designated cultivation areas, making extensive use of marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) as one of the breeding tools. In addition to herbicide tolerance, numerous other transgenic traits are currently under development. Their prospects and technical concepts are briefly discussed.

Regional Factor in Intra-Elite Rivalry in Present Kyrgyzstan

AbstractThis article conceptualizes regionalism in historical perspective as repeated schemes of translocal inter-groups' allegiances and studies dynamic transformation of political elites in present Kyrgyzstan in broader social context and international change. The article starts with historical reference to the Soviet delimitation policies in Central Asia in the 1920-30s and reveals how the competition among political groups within the prospective Kyrgyz SSR took the form of regional separation. On the basis of field interviews taken in the southern and northern areas of Kyrgyzstan, parliamentarians' biographies and statistics on inter-regional migration and entrepreneurship, the country's present south-north opposition is deconstructed as manipulation of political groups and individuals in competition for resources, power and social status. Post-socialist institutional innovations, including parliamentary system, election code and territorial-administrative reform are analyzed as flexible function of transregionalizing political rivalry. Finally, formation of the new pro-presidential party Ak Zhol and discussions on privatization of energy sector are interpreted as an attempt to establish corporate elite according to the Kazakh and Russian model.

Who won the contest for a new property class? Structural transformation of elites in the Visegrád Four region

This paper analyses the transformation of elites in the Visegrad Four countries (namely the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia). Drawing on a process-tracing analysis, it argues that the emergence of foreign-led economies in the late 1990s was intertwined with political processes in which domestic forces linked to foreign capital were transformed into major elite segments with considerable influence. This elite segment, the comprador service sector, proved to be politically active within the states in Central and Eastern Europe and organized various mechanisms of representation within the state and beyond. Die Studie untersucht den Wandel der Elite in den Visegrad-Staaten (namentlich die Tschechische Republik, Ungarn, Polen und die Slowakei). Sie zeigt, wie in den spaten 1990er Jahren das Entstehen der auslandsgefuhrten Wirtschaftszweige politisch mit dem Entstehen einer lokalen Elite verflochten war, die sich in den Dienst des auslandischen Kapitals gestellt hat. Diese Elite ein sog. „Comprador Dienstleistungssektor“ - ist zu einer dominanten einflussreichen Teilelite herangewachsen.

Illusory Transition? Elite Reconstitution in Kazakhstan, 1989 – 2002

Changes in elite composition during the post-Soviet transition in Russia and Central and Eastern Europe have received significant scholarly attention, but corollary developments in other former ‘Communist’ countries, including Kazakhstan, have attracted much less scrutiny, or have been attributed to organic features of Central Asian society. We examine the trajectory of the Kazakhstan elite in the light of three key perspectives on elite transformation: the first claims that the country has reverted to traditional clan social structures, the second proposes the conquest of power by a nascent ‘acquisition class’, and the third argues that the Soviet-era elite was largely successful in maintaining power during the economic reorganisation. We find that Kazakhstan's experience most closely matches the third explanation.

Organizational Invention and Elite Transformation: The Birth of Partnership Systems in Renaissance Florence

The birth of a new form of business organization, the partnership system, in Renaissance Florence is examined closely in order to discover the social processes of invention in that extraordinarily inventive place. Stated generally, the processes of invention the authors discover there are transposition, refunctionality, and catalysis across multiple social networks. Specifically, political co‐optation of cambio bankers in the aftermath of the Ciompi revolt induced the transposition of domestic guild methods to the international plane, thereby changing their purpose and their reach. Subsequent social absorption through marriage of these elevated bankers into the victorious political alliance infused partnership with the multiplex logic (and often money) of dowry, thereby reproducing partnership systems as an integral component in post‐Ciompi republicanism. Medieval organizational logics of patrilineage and guild were transformed into Renaissance organizational logics of marriage and clientage. The origins of financial capitalism are partly rooted in this elite social‐network response to class revolt.

The Politics of Elite Transformation: The Consolidation of Greek Democracy in Comparative Perspective, and: Parties, Politics, and Democracy in the New Southern Europe, and: The Social Psychology of Party Behaviour (review)

Neovi M. Karakatsanis, The Politics of Elite Transformation: The Consolidation of Greek Democracy in Comparative Perspective. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2001. Pp. x + 215. $80.75.

Economic policy in the post‐colony: South Africa between Keynesian remedies and Neoliberal pain

The jury is out and the verdict is in, according to most leftist commentators on the African National Congress (ANC) government. The South African political leadership has forgotten its institution...