Elite Transformation Research Articles

Theoretical and Practical Issues of Governing Elite Functioning in Russia

Based on a comparative analysis of the study of the Russian elite we consider current theoretical and practical issues related to the conditions and processes characterizing the activities of the elite. The study subjects are: clarifying the concept of “elite”, assessing the instability of the state and the presence of elements of the structural transformation of elites; revealing the features of the formation of Soviet and post-Soviet elites, the mechanisms of their renewal based on plutocracy, professionalization, consolidation of a synthetic type of mobility, readiness for change. The research focuses on understanding the elite as a social community with signs of mentality, worldview, and ideology. We reveal the role of conservative and liberal ideologies in the formation of state ideology and its significance for the Russian elite in the context of confrontation with the collective West.

엘리트 변동과 정책 변화

What is the relationship between elite transformation and policy change? Also, what effect does a transformation in elite type in a specific direction have on changes in policy orientation? This study is conducted to establish a theory about this relationship and influence, which is intuitively clear but academically and logically unclear.Of course, this study will provide only one example, and accumulation of this process will be necessary in the future. In China, according to existing research, changes in elite types have occurred in the latest period. The level is also evaluated as qualitative variation between types, not within types. Meanwhile, changes in policy orientation due to the change of top leader from Hu Jintao to Xi Jinping were also confirmed in existing studies. In this respect, it is judged to be of considerable value as an example for the above-mentioned research questions.
 As a result of the study, in terms of elite type variation, the Chinese elite type has a low degree of integration, a narrow level of differentiation, a wide range of circulation, and a gradual type of circulation type with a high degree of integration, low degree of differentiation, and cyclical type. While its scope is wide, the method of circulation has changed to a radical type. In addition, the change in policy orientation changed from conservative/left-wing to progressive/right-wing in terms of attitudes and values in foreign policy, and in domestic political policy, it changed from conservative/left-wing to progressive/right-wing in the same aspect. This result is significant in that, despite the limitations of a single case, it shows that it is possible to theorize changes in elite types and policy orientations, and realistically suggests a specific method for doing so.

Динамика и особенности процесса трансформации состава политической элиты в регионе транзитивного типа

The article considers the basic features of the transformation process of the political elite in relation to the region of a transitive, agrarianindustrial type, like Saratov region. The differences between the transformation process and the change of the elite and the so-called "change of elites" are revealed. The characteristics of the structural-institutional, group and generational aspects of the dynamics of elites in the region are given. It is noted that the process of elite transformation affects, first of all, such group indicators as socio-demographic parameters, social origin, educational characteristics of the elite, its length of service and experience in management activities. The analysis of the biographies of 67 politicians representing the elite of the transitive-type region allowed to conclude that the leading feature of the transformation of the composition of the political elite of the Saratov region is not a change in its external parameters, but the preservation of deep internal (structural-functional) characteristics. As a result, the parameters of the consolidation elite are approved, which is intended to largely consolidate the tendency to stabilize public-political life for a longer period.

Post-Holocaust Transitional Justice in Hungary – Approaches, Disputes, and Debates

AbstractThe article examines post-Holocaust transitional justice in Hungary, starting with a concise overview of the establishment and functioning of the Hungarian people’s tribunal system. It then explores historians’ approaches in analyzing these tribunals, including “grand trials” and micro-historical analyses of prominent individuals’ cases published after 1989. The paper deals with the connection between the Holocaust and the people’s tribunals, as well as the gendered analysis of these proceedings. Furthermore, it delves into the contentious issues and debates surrounding the people’s tribunals, encompassing questions about their definition, legal legitimacy due to retrospective justice, effectiveness, and potential exploitation by the Hungarian Communist Party for power consolidation and elite transformations. Lastly, the paper explores the divided memory of the people’s tribunals.

Features of the formation and promotion of the image of the head of the region: on the example of the Republic of Mordovia (1995–2021)

Introduction. The constructive image of a territory in the modern world determines its competitiveness and the possibility of various preferences in the form of subsidies from the federal center, investments from business, an increasing tourist flow, etc. Building the image is a complex process of interference of evolutionary and historical development and the existing background. The visual appearance of the regions and its transformation are associated with the images of the head/governor who acts both as the subject and the object of image-making. Materials and Methods. The methodology was based on historical-evolutionary, axiological and hermeneutic approaches, comparative, systemic and structural-functional analysis. As an applied method, the Internet monitoring of regional media publications was performed for 2020–2021. Results and Discussion. The article considers the evolution and continuity in the formation and promotion of the image of the head of the region at the present stage of development of the state and society. The role of the personified component in the regional image is shown. The Republic of Mordovia, which is in a state of transformation of power elites, was chosen for a case study. It analyzed the image types of the heads of the region from 1995 to 2020 were analyzed an image map of the Acting Head of the Republic of Mordovia A. A. Zdunov was compiled, within which the main lines of image person-positioning were studied, as well as the vectors of territory promotion updated by him. Conclusion. The authors come to the conclusion that the image type “leader-firefighter” is being promoted in the Republic of Mordovia, which is demanded by the difficult socio-economic situation of the region. The expansion of the image is carried out by means of a type of “business executive”, due to belonging to the party of power and personal characteristics. There is also an active detuning from the image of the previous leaders of the region. In particular, the work on the formation of public opinion has been strengthened, information activity and prompt response to modern development challenges are demonstrated.

Factors influencing the nature of the elite transformation processin Russia at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries. Part 2: Review

Factors influencing the nature of the elite transformation processin Russia at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries. Part 2: Review

The Local Elites in the Rank Structure and Administrative System of the Late Classic Maya Polities in the Western Region

The actual research is dedicated to the problem of transformation of the local elites in the rank structure and administrative system in the Late Classic Maya kingdoms of the Western region. The Maya early states of the segmentary type were formed in the Usumacinta Basin in the period between 400–500 AD and existed until the beginning of the 9th cent. By the 6th cent. the headship of the regions within such kingdoms was in the hands of local rulers with a wide range of powers, related to the royal dynasties and betraying their power by inheritance within the lineage, at the origins of which could stand the military leaders — yajawte. In the 7th cent. the privileges of local lords are significantly expanded, in particular, they add to their titulature the traditional royal titles and tend to be more independent, which leads to a series of military conflicts with kings. In the middle of 7th cent. kings transferred the rulership authority over the regions to the sajals, formerly ordinary local administrators, who were now endowed with significant powers of regional governors. The rank of sajal was not uniform, they could receive high ranking positions in royal court and form a new elite or sajals make up the local nobility transferring administrative powers in their own lineages. Thus, a unified centralized system of administrative rulership was formed in the Western Maya kingdoms at the beginning of the 8th cent.

Elite Transformation Towards Good Governance in Nigeria

ABSTRACT Understanding the scope of elite transformation towards good governance in developing countries’ polities is no doubt fastidious amid attendant context fluidity, institutional instabilities, and literature paucity. Nigeria’s post-colonial polity has witnessed various structural changes, especially in political regime and economic resources. Since the 1999 transition to democracy, no regime breakdown occurred. Curiously, the Nigerian polity has been experiencing spasmodic ethnic clashes, the onslaught of the menacing Boko Haram terror group, the economy disruptive Niger Delta insurgencies, and acute youth discontent with protests often countered with violence by state security agents. Moreover, social infrastructure provision for economic growth and development remains extensively precarious or non-existent. Most vexingly, systematic knowledge about the transformability of the policy decisive and often-critiqued political elite is deficient or sparsely jumbled. Much has been extolled about governance per se, yet context-relative and data-oriented knowledge remain scanty. To what extent is the Nigerian political executive elite composition transforming towards good governance since 1999? The article focuses on the Nigerian political elite transformability through good governance lenses and practices. It draws from relevant elite theories and governance approaches that underscore the methodology. It contends that the political elite innovation remains stagnant, despite relevant structural changes. The findings reveal insignificant elite dynamics towards good governance.

¡Zapatero, a tus zapatos! Explaining the social engagement of M-19 ex-combatants in education and social work institutions in Colombia

Why do some former rebels transition into social engagement after demobilisation while others do not? How do they adjust their militant aspirations to their context of reintegration? Studies on the political dimensions of rebel groups’ disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration processes have focused on post-rebel political parties, ex-combatant violence, elite transformation, political participation, and social and community engagement. Despite increased attention to reintegration processes, we know little about the processes that shape community engagement amongst ex-combatants. I address this gap by investigating the lifelong socialisation processes that influence transitions in and out of violence and social engagement. I argue that socialisation across various institutional settings in pre-recruitment and wartime life stages provides ex-combatants with dispositions and resources that, in interaction with post-demobilisation opportunities, shape their post-demobilisation social engagement. Applying a biographical approach, I analyse the trajectories of 32 ex-combatants from M-19, a left-wing nationalist guerrilla group at war with the Colombian government between 1974 and 1990. The study contributes to the literature on the long-term consequences of ex-combatant reintegration, socialisation and violence as well as the legacies of armed violence. It notably highlights how various dimensions of insurgent mobilisation can have lasting effects on individual life courses and society more broadly.

Влияние Брекзита на циркуляцию политической элиты Великобритании

The article is devoted to the study of a vast, complex set of problems associated with the constant circulation, renewal and transformation of the political elites of the United Kingdom which are forced to constantly adapt to rapidly changing realities of the contemporary world. The decision to withdraw from the European Union made by the UK citizens on the referendum of the 23rd of June, 2016 significantly accelerated the processes of the political elite transformation that had become noticeable long before that remarkable event. In the given study, the authors address the question of whether the mentioned changes are simply the signs of the old elite adaptation to new political realities and voter preferences, or there is an emerging new political elite that is gradually replacing the old one. Three major factors such as peculiarities of various stages of negotiations, the change in Brexit strategies and the acute political crisis that arose due to the inability of T. May’s Cabinet to achieve the ratification of the agreement concluded with European partners are analyzed. The authors assess their impact on the process of the renewal of top government officials responsible for making and implementing political decisions. In the present work, the phenomenon of the continuity of the British political elite, its inclination to reach compromises and rejection of extreme, radical points of view is investigated. The authors come to a conclusion that long historical experience of reaching consensus on controversial issues continues to have significant influence on the political elite of the United Kingdom and the processes of its evolution in a fast-paced world.

Взгляд в будущее: системно-динамическое моделирование политической трансформации региональных элит (Россия, 2021 – 2035 гг.)

The purpose of this study is to examine the ways in which the Russian regional administrative and political elites can change in 2021–2035. The authors attempted not only to find the most positive variants, but also to assess their probability and to describe the conditions for their implementation. There are seven predictive scenarios for the development of regional elites, which were constructed as a result of computer experiments with a system-dynamic model. The developed model is implemented in Powersim Studio 10. The model encompasses the main mechanisms and channels for recruiting elites as well as actors that have influenced the elite substitution system. The study is a follow-up to the work that was published in the Journal of Political Research and devoted to realistic and counterfeit scenarios of elite transformation in 1985–2019. The geographic framework within which the model can be applied spans — with some caveats — the European part of Russia. Modeling showed that some predictive scenarios are negative and even catastrophic for the progress of regional elites and for relations «federal center — regions». Moreover, such scenarios can be initiated not only by some unlikely events like the «Russian Maidan» (Ukrainization scenario), but also by erroneous actions of the federal government (Regency scenario). It has been revealed that the introduction of unified principles of monitoring and analysis, as well as centralized personnel management (Technocracy scenario) in the regions can solve all three key problems of elite evolution — namely, maintaining elite loyalty, achieving their acceptable quality, and gaining legitimacy.

A People’s Green New Deal: Obstacles and Prospects

Within the past years, the Green New Deal (GND) became the common language for Northern climate politics, offering a seeming exit path from Northern social and ecological crises while erasing an older Northern climate discourse tied to Southern demands for climate reparations and rights to development. This Eurocentric GND has become the environmental program for an equally Eurocentric social democratic renewal. This article situates the GND in world-systemic shifts, and Northern reactions to such shifts. It situates the GND as one of three possible Eurocentric solutions to the climate crisis: a great elite transformation from above; a left-liberal “reformist” resolution; a social democratic resolution. It then elaborates a possible “People’s Green New Deal,” a revolutionary transformation focused on state sovereignty, climate debt, auto-centered development, and agriculture. Within each proposed resolution, it traces the role of the land, agriculture, and peasants.

Transformation of national political elites in the era of globalization: socio-economic and political-legal analysis

The authors analyze the mutual influence of the processes of globalization of the socio-political, financial-economic and state-legal development of national societies and states and the development of national political elites. The paper identifies the main problems that are generated by the transformation of national political elites under the influence of globalization processes, as well as their impact on the prospects for the preservation and development of national societies and states, including in terms of preserving the national and state sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of individual states, respect, protection of the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of their citizens. The paper substantiates a system of proposals for improving national legislation in terms of organizing and exercising people's control over national political elites so that their activities are aimed, on the one hand, at the preservation and development of national societies and states, and on the other hand, at optimal implementation of system of rights, freedoms and legal interests of a person and a citizen.

The Role of the Elites in Choosing the Foreign Policy Priorities of the Baltic States

The author analyzed the role of the elites of the Baltic countries in the choice of foreign policy priorities in the period after the declaration of independence. The process of determining the course towards the Euro-Atlantic is inscribed in the sub-regional context, taking into account the current Russian-Baltic political interaction. The study of power groups was carried out on the basis of an examination of large-scale socio-political transformations along with an analysis of individual practices. A comprehensive study of the transformation of the political elites of Baltic states as small countries, involves consideration of both the domestic and foreign policy aspects. The thesis is put forward that, despite a number of differences in the Baltic states, since the 1990s there were similar processes of transformation of political elites. The elite formation was due to the principle of state continuity as continuity with the pre-war regimes of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and as a break with the Soviet period, including the EuroAtlantic course as the key priority of the foreign policy. The consolidation of deep divisions in the societies of the Baltic states - ethnic, linguistic, political - was the result of the elite struggle for power in the 1990s. After the implementation of the idea of Back to the West the elites of the Baltic states replaced it with a Russian threat, which made it possible to postpone overcoming internal divisions fraught with weakening of their power.

Resilienz und Konstruktion von Sicherheit

Abstract Prospero Balbo, the head of a leading Piedmontese noble family, followed a career path similar to that of the versatile French statesman Talleyrand. In the aftermath of 1789, Balbo served under four different regimes: the Old Regime monarchy, the Russian provisional administration of Piedmont in 1799, the Napoleonic empire, and the restored Savoy monarchy. After the short-lived revolutionary movement of 1821 in Sardinia-Piedmont, Prospero lost his job as interior minister and his son, Cesare, was forced into exile. The revolutionary waves of 1820–1821 were the most recent of numerous disruptive events and regime changes that jeopardized Europe and the Atlantic world between the late 1770 s and the early 1820 s. These five decades of revolutionary upheavals, wars, and persistent insecurity forced the traditional elites to mobilize their material, cultural, and social resources to preserve their prestige and power. Based on extensive archival research, this article examines the resilience-strengthening resources and strategies implemented by members of the Balbo family during periods of political turmoil. In doing so, the article aims to develop an analytical and conceptual framework to describe historical processes in terms of resilience and vulnerability. This new approach enables us to look afresh at elite transformations and at the dynamics of political change and continuity in early nineteenth-century Europe.

SYSTEM AND DYNAMIC MODEL OF REPRODUCTION OF THE REGIONAL ELITES IN THE USSR AND RUSSIA

The article presents a system-dynamic model of the transformation of Russian regional administrative and political elites in 1985–2019. The model is implemented through the Powersim Studio program. To build the model, the mechanisms and channels of recruiting elites were analyzed, as well as the actors (social and political forces) that influenced the elite substitution system. Information about the object of modeling is formalized in the form of a diagram of stocks and flows. The mathematical apparatus is presented. The model allows simulating the replenishment of elites by people from different social environments and, accordingly, the dynamics of the compo-sition of elites. As an example, one of the alternative – counterfactual – scenarios of the evolution of elites, which was formed during a computer experiment with a model, is considered. The results of the study indicate a high heuristic productivity of system-dynamic modeling in the sociopolitical subject field.

The transformation of political elites in the European Union after 2008. What is next after the constraining dissensus?

ABSTRACT The European Union has witnessed a transformation of national political elites in the last decade. In addition to local factors, this is caused by a range of broader societal and political discontinuities. By applying Higley’s model of political elite transformation to the Eurozone- and migration crises, we reveal the nature of this transformation: political elites today are more differentiated and less united than a decade ago. The analysis shows that the discontinuities brought forth newly founded political parties and strengthened those with previously little voice in decision-making. These new elites reflect the Euroscepticism of an increasing proportion of their constituency. Thus, we argue that the European political landscape has moved beyond the constraining dissensus to a post-constraining dissensus, where national elites themselves challenge European integration. As elite transformation continues, the process of European integration will have to grapple with the realities of increased elite diversity for the foreseeable future.

On the Way to the Mass Entrepreneurship in Russia: Currents State and Trends

Despite the long history of market reforms in the country, the quality of Russian entrepreneurial ecosystems does not fit to the overall economic development of the country. The causes of this situation are poorly investigated even though there are many studies are conducted on the field of entrepreneurial climate in Russia. An explanation can be found in the field of political-economic aspects and policy of statism that has formed and strengthened in the country since the mid of the 1990th. In the present paper we analyze and discuss the current state of entrepreneurial development concerning the changing governmental political-economic policy. During the last two years, there have been certain qualitative changes, expressed in the transformation of elites' attitude to entrepreneurs. The «National entrepreneurship support» project has been introduced, and a series of impactful support programs have been launched on the regional level. Two IT platforms - 'Business Navigator' and 'My business', aimed at nascent and early staged entrepreneur's support have been successfully started. The study has a descriptive qualitative research design and also can be attributed to the Policy-Oriented Research type. In this study, we have analyzed the latest entrepreneurial statistics, GEM data, and several Russian entrepreneurial development indexes. The authors conclude that despite the appearance of stability in entrepreneurial development metrics, the current moment is a turning point, as some certain prerequisites for a qualitative increase in the entrepreneurial class have already formed in the country.

Trends in the transformation of Russian elites: new approaches and interpretations

Trends in the transformation of Russian elites: new approaches and interpretations

Трансформация политических элит стран Прибалтики: общее и особенное

This research focuses on the features and transformations of power groups and their role in the political life of the societies of the Baltic countries. This article aims to analyse structural and functional changes in the composition of the Baltic political elites after these countries gained independence in the 1990s. The main objective of this research is to reveal the general and the specific in the transformations of Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian elites. Changes in the structure of power groups are considered on a sub-regional scale in view of the current Russian-Baltic political interaction. The common and distinctive features in the transformations of Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian elites are identified. Quantitative methods of analysis are used to detect trends in the selection of channels and mechanisms of elite recruitment. The study of power groups concentrated on both large-scale socio-political transformations and individual practices. A comprehensive examination of elite transformation in small states such as the Baltics requires the consideration of both domestic and foreign policy aspects. The thesis is put forward that despite some differences between the Baltic States their political elites have undergone very similar transformations since the 1990s. At the time, Baltic elites asserted continuity with pre-war Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia and detachment from the Soviet past. The 1990s elite struggle for power led to sharp ethnic, linguistic and political divides in Baltic societies. These rifts limit competition between power groups and reduce the ability of political systems to renew themselves. Having reached the ‘back to the West’ goal, Baltic elites replaced it with the idea of ‘Russian threat’. Bridging internal divides, which may weaken the power of the elites, was postponed as a result.