Political elite is a concept for a social group, which is characterized by the following features:
1) occupies the highest positions in society;
2) performs the functions of management and influence in society.
Modern political science uses several approaches to the study of elites. In general, they can be reduced to two main approaches: meritocratic and power.
In accordance with the meritocratic approach ("Pareto line"), the elite are those who possess some special advantages and personal qualities. Within the meritocratic approach, there are technocratic and organizational-managerial directions.
According to technocratic theories (A.Bogdanov, T.Weblin), using special knowledge, technocrats (engineers-organizers) gradually supplant traditional owners from leading social positions, turning into an independent social force.
Organizational and management theories (J. Bernheim) put forward the thesis about the transfer of power from the hands of owners to the hands of professionals-managers.
According to the power approach, the elite are those who have decisive power in a given society. In turn, the power approach is divided into structural and functional.
Supporters of the structural approach refer to the elite of all persons occupying a formal position in power bodies (for example, the president and ministers). Adherents of the functional approach, on the other hand, refer to the elite those groups and those individuals who have a real impact on public life and on making socially significant decisions.
The study of elites presupposes the identification and comparison among themselves of different elite groups.
1. Elites are divided into political, economic and cultural-informational by functional attribute.
The political elite is made up of groups and political leaders who carry out power decisions. Based on the volume of power, the following types of political elite are singled out: the highest, middle and administrative elite. The highest political elite includes leaders who occupy strategic positions in the system of making the most important decisions (the president and his entourage, government leaders, the speaker of the parliament, etc.). The middle elite includes those who hold positions in elected bodies of power (deputies, representatives of regional elites, leaders of political parties and movements). The administrative elite includes members of the government as well as the highest level of civil servants.
The economic elite is made up of the richest members of society - large owners, bankers, heads of financial and industrial groups, heads of leading corporations, owners of large capitals.
The cultural and information elite is made up of prominent figures of science and culture, prominent journalists, and the highest hierarchs of the church, who influence the formation of public opinion.
2. Elite is divided into ruling and opposition (counter-elite) by place in the political system. The ruling elite includes those groups and individuals who actually make the most important decisions or influence them. The composition of the counter-elite includes those who seek to change the ruling elite in power.
3. According to the intensity of circulation and methods of recruitment, open and closed elites are distinguished. The open elite is characterized by quite dynamic circulation, it is characterized by openness, which is expressed in formally equal opportunities of access for members of non-elite groups to it. Its positive features are its sensitivity to social moods and needs, flexibility and wide possibilities of rapid adaptation to changing social conditions and reaction to social changes. However, it also has its own disadvantages: a tendency to populist and ill-conceived decisions, medium and low degree of continuity in policy making.
The closed elite is characterized by closed circulation, which is expressed in unequal opportunities of access of representatives of non-elite groups to it. Its positive features are: a high degree of continuity in policy development, balanced solutions, low probability of internal conflicts. The drawbacks of this type include stagnation, weak ability to react to the ongoing social changes, and a tendency to caste.
4. Elites with a high degree of integration (united) and with a low degree of integration (disconnected) are distinguished by the structure (character of intra-elite relations). Integrated elites are sufficiently cohesive. There are stable relations between intra-elite groups. The degree of intergroup competition can be quite low, conflicts within the elite are not irreconcilable. Among the integrated elites there are ideologically and consensually united elites. The former formulate a common ideology and are intolerant of dissent within their ranks. Consensus-based elites are distinguished by the agreement of intra-elite groups on the basic values, rules of political competition and procedures for exercising power, the main objectives and methods of policy implementation. Disengaged elites are characterized by intense competition between different groups for strategic positions, areas of control and resource allocation.
5. In terms of representation, elites are divided into elites with high and low representation. The differences between them lie in the degree of expression of interests of different segments of society.