National Elites Research Articles

Elite Incomes Around the World: Command over Tradables, Nontradables and Labour

AbstractThis paper shows that cross-country comparisons of elite incomes vary widely and systematically depending on the conception of real income used. It is well known that between-country income inequality is higher using market exchange rates than PPP exchange rates, due to a combination of traded sector bias and the Balassa-Samuelson effect, and we empirically confirm that this is the case for comparing top 1 percent incomes across countries. In contrast, we argue that measuring real incomes of elites using entitlements over labour (ELs), which take local wage costs as the numeraire, leads to the opposite effect: since the non-traded sector is relatively labour-intensive, incomes in the sense of ELs demonstrate non-traded sector bias relative to PPP incomes. They therefore provide a complement, or opposite bound, to the traded-sector bias of market exchange rates. Consistent with this argument, we find that between-country inequality among the world’s national elites is indeed lower using ELs than either PPP or market exchange rates. But elite incomes in ELs do not merely converge: elites in poorer countries leapfrog or overshoot their rich country counterparts, enjoying higher real incomes in terms of their command over domestic labour.

Consumption targeted innovation for women: From principle to practice?

This study explores the gendered dimension of innovation policy, taking the perspective of women as users and consumers of innovation, rather than as participants in the innovative workforce; a perspective which has not yet been fully analysed. Based on an analysis of policy documents by supra-national, national, and sub-national agencies and elite interviews, the research examines the beginnings of a new policy we term “Consumption Targeted Innovation for Women” (CTIW) in a limited number of advanced economies: The EU, and the specific cases of Austria and Israel. Elaborating on the necessity of this policy, the dynamics of its spread and its challenges moving forward, the research contributes conceptually to the budding literature on inclusive innovation policy, and practically to the analysis of emerging policies that are likely to further gender equality in innovation. We argue that CTIW is a response to market failure in the form of innovation designs that systematically cater to male needs and preferences while mostly ignoring those of women. The spread of CTIW policies is driven by policy entrepreneurs from the academic world. Policy adoption depends on the degree to which government in general is committed to gender equality and more specifically gender mainstreaming policy. However, even where the environment is ideologically favorable, CTIW must contend with the fact that most policy attention is focused on measures dedicated to furthering gender-equality on the production side.

Value model of political communications of the Russian elite in conflictual and deviant polysubject environment

The article, based on the results of a comprehensive political analysis, substantiates that in the modern socio-political reality, the formation of a multipolar world, the problem of the effectiveness of political communications are closely related to the potential of political and administrative power elites. The communicative qualities of a modern politician are enhanced by value-civilizational and moral parameters, the ability of strategic vision and the ability to maintain civilizational and value discourse in the political and economic system and direct it towards sustainable advanced development of society. This, in turn, involves the analysis and development of parameters for diagnosing the quality of modern Russian political and administrative elites, their moral and professional adequacy and aptitude; so is the actualization and solution of the problem of deviations at the elite level of political power. In order to form a value model of political communications of the Russian elite, it is necessary to comprehensively consider management systems based on specific values (including management of public values), identify and position public values as determinants of socio-political development, develop mechanisms to counteract the value degradation and marginalization of national elites, take into account the propensity of the Russian government to identify internal and external enemies in the previous stages of development, and also to the uncritical borrowing of the models of democracy alien to the Russian cultural and civilizational code, and the image imitation of elite qualities.

When decolonization is hijacked

AbstractThis article asks how we should reconceptualize decolonization when it is hijacked by authoritarian/fascist forces. It focuses on the notorious Bhima Koregaon case in India in which 16 intellectuals/human rights defenders from across the country were imprisoned without trial as alleged terrorists. It shows how, on the one hand, decolonization is hijacked by the Hindu authoritarian regime and, on the other hand, colonial artifacts are resymbolized by the colonized to oppose oppression by native elites. It urges attention to the questions of who is mobilizing the language of decolonization and why. It argues that the most important anticolonial intellectuals may not use the language of decolonization and may not be in universities, but on the streets, with social movements, and in prison. It proposes that contemporary decolonization debates center processes of domination and oppression created by the state and global capital nexus, processes that are cultural, psychological, political, and economic. These processes are shown to entrench casteist/racist hierarchies, work through Indigenous elites, and create internal differentiation within marginalized communities, eschewing a unitary concept of indigenous ontology/cosmopolitics/worldviews. Calls for an emancipatory politics, such as that of decolonizing anthropology or the university, would be well placed to center these global processes and local nuances.

Family entrepreneurs and their next generations, 1809–1945: educational pathways of business elite in Finland

ABSTRACT This study investigated the history of family business elite education in Finland. It focused on family entrepreneurs who achieved the highest national business elite status between 1809 and 1945 and their successive generations. It explored the characteristics of their education within the framework of educational pathways. Data were sourced from the National Biography, which enabled the selection and examination of families belonging to the business elite up to the fifth generation. The results revealed that the family entrepreneurs and their successors focused on successor upbringing and competitive continuity in the family business. Their educational pathways, shaped by formal and informal education, varied in terms of the unique cultural contexts of their family dynasties. The families employed diverse strategies, including informal conservative education, self-education, growth-oriented education, family wealth governance, higher education-focused learning, industrial education, and elite education pathways. These pathways mirror first-generation family entrepreneurs’ education, the second generation’s evolving educational requirements (in succession, internationalization, and growth), and the third and subsequent generations (in corporate governance and wealth creation). While there were changes in educational needs and content across generations and contexts, this study underscores the importance of educational pathways in conceptualizing the educational history of family businesses.

한국 서원의 원생과 서양 중세 대학 학생의 성격 비교 - 원생과 학생의 특권을 중심으로

This thesis is a comparative review of students in Korea’s Seowon and medieval university students of the West with the focus on special privilege. The institutions of the two sides were one of the highest education institutions for respective region to educate the national elites. Therefore, the national and regional powers provided social and economic special privilege to the students in respective institution. However, there are extremely clear differences in the special privilege granted to the specific class on the level of influence on the actual national advancement and development into modern educational institution. First of all, those students in medieval western universities had taken the extremely public benefit position regarding the functions of universities. Namely, those medieval universities were the self-autonomous organization of students who had strong drive on academic freedom and professional occupation, not as a facility of church or state power. The kept demanding on right of self-autonomy to the Pope and kings, and such demands were materialized due to the realistic needs. Such self-autonomy of universities and special privilege of students were symbolized as so-called ‘freedom of university’, and it was the foundation to establish them to grow into professional education institution to accommodate diversified academic fields after the modern era. On the other hand, the special privilege of Seowon students of Korea was distanced from the educational efficacy. Those special privileges granted for the purpose of encouraging the academic endeavors had turned into a mean to secure social and economic interests that are represented as an avoidance of national duties. Under the situation, the educational function of Seowon was greatly declined after the 17th century, but the special privilege represented for exemption of military service. In such aspect, it would be attributable as one of important factors that Seowon was unable to transit or advance as a modern educational institution in Korea.

Narrative study into the sports experience of national elite physically disadvantaged team member and their psychological maturity

Narrative study into the sports experience of national elite physically disadvantaged team member and their psychological maturity

Swedish elite athletes’ experiences of psychotherapy for mental health concerns provided by licensed psychologists and psychotherapists: a qualitative study

This study explores elite athletes’ experiences of psychotherapy administered by Swedish licensed psychologists or psychotherapists with and without specialisation in elite sports, addressing the research question: What do elite athletes...

Elite Athletes and Worker Status

Abstract Recent research regarding the working conditions of elite athletes in Olympic sports in the European Union, Norway and the UK shows that most athletes are not in an employment relationship with a sports stakeholder such as a National Olympic Committee, sports governing body or club because legislation at a national level or the terms of a contract preclude their status as employees or workers. Elite athletes who are excluded from employee or worker status do not have access to valuable social and employment benefits and protections, for example, a pension entitlement or maternity benefits. This article highlights the complex contractual situation of elite athletes who are integrated into a national elite sports programme and the regulatory and legal frameworks in which they provide services during an athletic career and posits that elite athletes are workers irrespective of an athlete’s legal status designated under national law or contract.

Citizens of Russia on hybrid socio-political reality in the country

The strategic intent of the current U.S. administration to win a geopolitical victory over Russia with the help of Ukraine’s nationalist elite is becoming a catastrophic reality, as the Russian Federation’s special military operation and a series of failed “offensives” by Ukraine’s armed forces evolve. Existential threat has forced the Russian state and civil society to mobilize in the shortest possible time armed forces, economy and military-industrial complex to repel the Western military proxy intervention. The scientific sociological information about the socio-political potential and reserves of the Russian society, its readiness, nature and degree of motivation for the defense of the Fatherland are of crucial importance for an effective management of the current disposition along Russia’s western borders. The Scientific-analytical and informational work is complicated by the fact that the picture of the hybrid socio-political reality of the country’s life is purposefully distorted by the enemy by means and channels of mass propaganda and communication in order to disinform the population and the armed forces. The empirical basis of the article is the data of sociological monitoring “How are you Russia?” about the current aspects of civil society life, based on the analysis of which conclusions are drawn about feasible resources and trends in the development of the socio-political situation in our country and the world. Sociological measurements in 2023, compared with data from previous years, allow us to conclude that Russian society has a high resource for socio-political stability and consolidation. Thus, an analysis of the structure of current anxiety showed that SVO did not have a critically destabilizing effect on the life of any group of Russian society. The share of those who believe that the political system needs to be radically changed decreased in 2023 to a minimum (16%) over the last 30 years of measurements. The overwhelming majority (73%) of Russians believe that the main threats to Russia come from abroad. The index of socio-political sustainability returned in 2023 to the zone of stable and sustainable development, reaching its highest value in 30 years of monitoring measurements. The noted positive trends show that Russia successfully continues the searching for a balance and symphony of interests in the modern hybrid social reality.

Suicidal ideation among Chinese national team elite athletes

The present study reveals the subjective experiences of suicidal ideation among Chinese national team athletes. The two objectives were to situate the experiences of athletes’ suicidal ideation and to identify the common features of athletes’ suicidal ideation and their coping strategies in the Chinese sport system. Following a critical realist framework, 10 national team athletes were purposively recruited to share their experiences of suicidal ideation as they progressed in their national teams through in-depth semi-structured interviews. A reflexive thematic analysis followed by composite vignettes were undertaken to provide a rich description of suicidal ideation in relation to the athletes’ progressive careers. Three composite vignettes were generated: (a) suicidal ideation resulting from early overtraining, (b) difficulty in adjusting to a highly competitive environment post-transition, and (c) competition failures among established athletes. The manifestations, durations, reactions, and coping strategies of suicidal ideations varied as the athletes progressed in their careers. Age, athletic performance, social support, medal-orientation, and collectivism contributed to suicidal ideation.

Words and Attitudes of the Heart: The Emotional Content of Christian Nationalist Communications

Christian nationalism has emerged as an important component of the relationship between religious identities and political attitudes. While several studies have analyzed the constellation of Christian nationalist elites and the effects of Christian nationalist orientations on public opinion, to date no study has explored how Christian nationalist elites message to the public or what effects these messages have. Moreover, the current literature lacks comparisons of Christian nationalism to other similar orientations. This study uses content analysis to compare the content and use of emotion language of Facebook messages of Christian nationalist, Christian Christian nationalism (CN) opposition, and patriotic groups. I find that these groups focus posts on issues that are stereotypical to the group identity, and that the use of emotion language differs by topic and group type. Additionally, groups’ use of emotion language shifts the emotional responses of readers, especially in Christian nationalist groups. This study adds to our understanding of the role of emotion in social media communications and the effects of social media communications on readers.

The arsenal of democracy? An examination of political regime types’ success in the global sporting arms race following the collapse of the iron curtain

ABSTRACT Over the years, international elite sport has developed into an ‘arms race’ with the success of national elite sport systems becoming a symbol of regime superiority. During the Cold War, the Eastern and Western Blocs battled for success in various sports disciplines. The former nations were dominating in terms of medals, symbolising the force of the socialist autocratic system. However, because of the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, Western liberal democracies had the opportunity to gain more strength. In this paper, we aim to test whether this has happened by analysing the association between political regime type and international sporting success at the Winter and Summer Olympic Games in the post-Cold War Period. We do this by deploying data on the political regime types to a set of regression models, finding that democratic nations have taken over the international sporting arms race at the Summer Olympic Games. For the Winter Games, our results indicate that less democratic countries (anocracies) are in the lead. Our results add to existing research by suggesting that political regime type still matters to international sporting success. Implications for stakeholders, sports managers, and politicians are that they must decide to what extent they want to be part of this game in the coming years.

Performance and Fatigue Patterns in Elite Cyclists During 6 h of Simulated Road Racing.

Fatigue resistance is vital for success in elite road cycling, as repeated, intense efforts challenge the athletes' ability to sustain peak performance throughout prolonged races. The present study combined recurrent performance testing and physiological measures during 6 h simulated racing with laboratory testing to investigate factors influencing fatigue resistance. Twelve male national elite cyclists (25 ± 3 years; 76 ± 6 kg and VO2max of 5.2 ± 0.5 L/min) completed incremental power and maximal fat oxidation tests. Subsequently, they underwent field testing with physiological measures and fatigue responses evaluated through peak sprint power and 5 km time trial (TT) testing after 0, 2, 4, and 6 h of exercise. Peak power declined from 1362 ± 176 W in first sprint to 1271 ± 152 W after 2 h (p < 0.01) and then stabilized. In contrast, TT mean power gradually declined from 412 ± 38 W in the first TT to 384 ± 41 W in the final trial, with individual losses ranging from 2% to 14% and moderately correlated (r2 = 0.45) to accumulated exercise time above lactate threshold. High carbohydrate intake (~90 g/h) maintained blood glucose levels, but post-TT [lactate] decreased from 15.1 ± 2 mM to 7.1 ± 2.3 mM, while fat oxidation increased from 0.7 ± 0.3 g/min at 0 h to 1.1 ± 0.1 g/min after 6 h. The study identifies fatigue patterns in national elite cyclists. Peak sprint power stabilized after an initial impairment from 0 to 2 h, while TT power gradually declined over the 6 h simulated race, with increased differentiation in fatigue responses among athletes.

An Analysis of the Potential of Philippine Sports as a Tool for Public Diplomacy

With the growing lapses of sports-based strategies in the Philippine setting, the gap between its theoretical foundation and its praxis has ballooned, predominantly attributed to the need for more academic work in this area. Correspondingly, this study provides implications for sports-related strategies for predicting a positive public image of the Philippines and harboring peaceful state cooperation through the merits of soft power. To achieve this, this paper has contrived the objectives, including (1) identifying the implications of hosting the SEA Games 2019 for the country by examining the management of the Philippine government, (2) determining the implications of the elite sporting success of Filipino athletes in sports tournaments, and, lastly, (3) identifying the potential of sports through the implementation of sports-related strategy by the Philippines. Moreover, this paper implements qualitative methods, including document review and key informant interviews, to gather pertinent testimonials from various sub-sectors in sports, including national elite athletes, professional coaches, and sports experts, to assess the state of Philippine sports and significantly determine its potential as a serious form of public diplomacy, particularly in achieving its intended outcomes. This study infers that Philippine sports have the capability to influence the country's stature with consideration of the global media as well as advance its foreign policy of international cooperation.

From a national elite to the global elite: Possibilities and problems in scaling up.

This research note highlights emerging findings that speak to the challenges of joining the transnational elite, particularly for those coming from the Global South. For a longitudinal study of wealth inheritors becoming more transnational via their educational paths, we spoke with 16 young people who were all in their early 20s and primarily from economic elite families in the Global South. Some participants had clear ambitions, while others were less sure about their future, wondering where they should move and what they should do when they got there. Their various narratives reveal that underlying the possibilities and problems of where to locate themselves was our participants' access to different constellations of economic, social and cultural capital, as well as their race, citizenship and 'home' country's geopolitical situation. Their parents' ambitions that they become part of a global elite remained in most cases largely unfulfilled-despite a significant economic investment in their secondary and university educations. Only a small minority of our participants aspired to and/or were able to secure such transnational futures.

Mapping citizens, voters, and parties’ preferences on European solidarity across EU member states

ABSTRACT Since 2008, the European Union (EU) witnessed a growing tension between the social and economic dimensions of integration as a consequence of the ‘polycrisis’. The increasing politicisation of EU issues in national political arenas that led to the rise of Eurosceptic parties mostly revolved around the issue of European solidarity. Against this background, this study investigates the congruence between voters and incumbent members of national parliaments on the highly contentious aspects of EU solidarity. First, the article maps the extent to which national political elites share similar views on EU solidarity with their voters. Secondly, we assess members of parliaments (MPs)-voters’ congruence at the party level. Employing original data from an elite and a mass survey conducted in six EU countries between 2017 and 2018, we find that both voters and MPs expressed a high level of support for policies strengthening European solidarity in the Eurozone periphery. Instead, voters in Northern and Eastern EU member states shared more positive preferences than their national representatives. Furthermore, the party-voter distance was higher for radical-right Eurosceptic MPs, especially in Northern Europe, than for other parties.

Peculiarities of the development of Ukrainian political and legal thought of the nationalist direction in Galicia in the interwar period (1919-1939) of the 20th century

The article examines the peculiarities of the development of Ukrainian political and legal thought of the nationalist direction in Galicia during the interwar period. The ideas and specifics of the views of Ukrainian thinkers who formed and developed Ukrainian nationalist thought are considered. It is shown that the struggle of Ukrainian nationalists was aimed at realizing the natural right of the Ukrainian people to self-determination. It is emphasized that it was extremely difficult for Ukrainians to achieve this in practice, because the process of annexation of Western Ukrainian lands was accompanied by a violation of fundamental international obligations of Poland and its current legislation, which were a prerequisite for the consent of the victorious states to temporary (1919) and permanent, with the rights of autonomy (1923) inclusion of Western Ukrainian lands into the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It is emphasized that in the 20s, the occupation government began mass polonization in Galicia, which consisted in the artificial colonization of Ukrainian ethnic lands by the Polish population, significant restrictions on Ukrainians in obtaining school education in their native language, persecution of organized public life, etc. The apogee was the so-called pacification, a punitive action to "pacify” Ukrainians, which was carried out from September 16 to November 30, 1930. It was established that repression and mass terror caused acute forms of confrontation in society, which should be considered as an adequate response of Ukrainian nationalists to the efforts of the authorities to oppress the Ukrainian population with violent methods. It is argued that a new stage in the development of Ukrainian political and legal thought of a nationalist direction is largely connected with the figure of Dmytro Dontsov, who formed the basic principles of education of the national elite, defense of national interests and development of national ideology. It has been proven that in the interwar period, nationalist ideas in Galicia penetrated into the popular masses, mastered them and thus significantly changed the character of the Ukrainian people.

Geographies of wealth: the materiality of an elite school in Switzerland

ABSTRACT Elite schools, long tasked with creating a future national elite, often now find themselves competing in a global education market. This article explores how one such school, in Switzerland, articulates with the global imaginary of its local geography – in particular, with images of luxury tourism and safety – to appeal to a globally wealthy clientele. It unpacks the material benefits derived from this articulation, for both the institution itself and the individuals who attend it. The school, I argue, fostered a ‘club effect’ that enhanced the social and symbolic capital of (most of) its students, brought into relief by the scholarship students who were excluded from it. This article thus explores what kind of work is being done when a particular vision – that of wealth – is attached to a school, and for whom that work is done. It closes by pointing to ways in which this educational landscape is shifting.

The Effects of Resistance Training on Sport-Specific Performance of Elite Athletes: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

This systematic review examines the influence of resistance training (RT) on the performance outcomes of elite athletes. Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search across PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science databases was conducted, considering studies up to November 19, 2023. The inclusion criteria were elite athletes involved in high-level competitions. Studies were categorized by the competitive level among elite athletes, athlete's sex, performance outcomes, and a training modality with subgroup analyses based on these factors. Thirty-five studies involving 777 elite athletes were included. The results of the meta-analysis revealed a large and significant overall effect of RT on sport-specific performance (standardized mean difference, SMD = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.65, 1.66), with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 84%). Subgroup analyses revealed differential effects based on the competitive level, the type of sport-specific outcomes, and sex. National elite athletes showed more pronounced (large SMD) benefits from RT compared to international elite athletes (small SMD). Global outcomes revealed a medium but non-significant (p > 0.05) SMD, while local outcomes showed a large SMD. Notably, female athletes exhibited a large SMD, though not reaching statistical significance (p > 0.05), probably due to limited study participants. No significant (p > 0.05) differences were found between heavy and light load RT. Resistance training is effective in improving sport-specific performance in elite athletes, with its effectiveness modulated by the competitive level, the type of the performance outcome, and athlete's sex. The findings underscore the need for personalized RT regimens and further research, particularly in female elite athletes, as well as advanced RT methods for international elite athletes.