The New Elites in the Baltic States: Recirculation and Change

Regime change is closely connected to elite change. although classical theories of elite rule would predict considerable elite continuity. The basic question is how the downfall of communist regimes and introduction of democracy have affected elite patterns in the three Baltic states. The data indicate a combination of continuity and change: circulation of indigenous elites has taken place, while Russians are excluded from power in important state institutions. Elite continuity is explained by lack of "alternative elites" and a need for competent leaders in the state building process. Elite change is explained by ethnic cleavages which raise the issue of indigenous control over power positions.     

Rise and decline of mass culture?

He is author of Roots of Radicalism; The Media Elite; The IQ Controversy: The Media and Public Policy; Watching America;and The Mass Media in Liberal Democratic Societies.     

Feminism in films

He is author most recently of Roots of Radicalism; The Media Elite; The IQ Controversy: The Media and Public Policy;and Watching America.     

Book Reviews

The Idea Brokers: Think Tanks and the Rise of the New Policy Elite. By JAMES ALLEN SMITH.
The Political Failure of Employment Policy 1945–1982. By GARY MUCCIARONI.
The Politics of Public Spending in Canada. By DONALD J. SAVOIE.
The Organization of Hypocrisy. Talk, Decisions and Actions in Organizations. By NILS BRUNSSON.
Conflict and Rhetoric in French Policymaking. By FRANK R. BAUMGARTNER.
Affirmative Talk, Affirmative Action: A Comparative Study of the Politics of Affirmative Action. By AUGUSTUS J. JONES, JR.     

BOOK NOTES

Books recived in this article:
R.L. M athews (ed.), Responsibility Sharing in a Federal System.
D.J. M urphy (ed.), Labor in Politics. The State Labor Parties in Australia, 1880–1920.
J ohn A. A rmstrong . The European Administrative Elite.
S amuel K rislov , Representative Bureaucracy.
L.F. C risp . Australian National Government.
Legal Service Bulletin. Published bi-monthly by the Fitzroy Legal Service.     

Prophesying War: How Convincing is The Power Elite?

Society - No sociological study of the exercise of American power has matched the provocative influence of The Power Elite (1956), which was published when radical criticism of foreign policy was...     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article Karl Marx : His Life and Thought . By David MClellan . Karl Marx : Grundrisse . Karl Marx : The Revolutions Of 1848. Karl Marx : Surveys From Exile . Elite Accommodation in Canadian Politics . By Robert Presthus . Complaints Against Doctors . By Rudolf Klein . Herbert Morrison : Portrait Of a Politician . By Bernard Donoughue and G. W. Jones . Marx and the Marxists . By David Childs . Marx's Socialism . Edited by Shlomo Avineri . The Western Marxists . By Neil Mcnnes . Karl Marx : Man and Fighter . By Nicolaievsky and Maenchen -Helfen . Czechoslovakia before Munich . The German Minority Problem and British Appeasement Policy . By J. W. Bruegel . Germany and the Approach of War 1914: Delusion or Design ? Edited by JOHN Röhl .     

Does Partisan Self-interest Dictate Support for Election Reform? Experimental Evidence on the Willingness of Citizens to Alter the Costs of Voting for Electoral Gain

Political Behavior - Elite support for modifying electoral institutions and policies generally depends on whether a proposed change is expected to improve their party’s electoral prospects....     

Book Reviews

Dionne, E.J. Jr. They Only Look Dead: Why Progressives Will Dominate the Next Political Era Gitlin, Todd The Twilight of Common Dreams: Why America is Wracked by Culture Wars Hochschild, Jennifer L. Facing Up to the American Dream: Race, Class and the Soul of the Nation Kozol, Jonathan Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation Foster, Christopher D. and Plowden, Francis J. The State Under Stress Barberis, Peter The Elite of the Elite: Permanent Secretaries in the British Higher Civil Service Porter, Norman Rethinking Unionism: An Alternative Vision for Northern Ireland English, Richard and Walker, Graham (eds) Unionism in Modern Ireland: New Perspectives on Politics and Culture Clarke, Peter Hope and Glory: Britain 1900–1990 Harrison, Brian The Transformation of British Politics 1860–1995 Radice, Giles (ed) What Needs to Change? New Visions for Britain King, Preston (ed) Socialism and the Common Good: New Fabian Essays Perryman, Mark (ed) The Blair Agenda Stone, Diane Capturing the Political Imagination: Think Tanks and the Policy Process Denham, Andrew Think Tanks of the New Right Klein, Rudolf, Day, Patricia and Redmayne, Sharon Managing Scarcity: Priority Setting and Rationing in the National Health Service Lawson, Richard Bills of Health Disney, Richard Can We Afford to Grow Older? Brown, Alice, McCrone, David and Paterson, Lindsay Politics and Society in Scotland The Constitution Unit Scotland’s Parliament: Fundamentals for a New Scotland Act The Constitution Unit Regional Government in England     

Michels Revisited: Autonomous Cliques in a Small Political System: The Norwegian Institute for Atomic Energy (IFA), 1949-79

Elite autonomy is often discussed in relation to oligarchic tendencies within organizations. The article demonstrates how autonomy of elites may have a more stable basis if it rests on inter-elite support. The focus is on the role of autonomous, tightly coupled, and exclusive elite networks characterized by jointly held perceptions and reciprocity – cliques – in a small political system, such as in Norway. The argument is based on a study of the Norwegian Institute of Atomic Energy and its political environment, 1949–79. The formation and survival of autonomous cliques are stimulated by properties of small and tightly knit political systems: (1) transciency, (2) scarcity of qualified personnel, (3) consensus on national goals, and (4) elites' need to protect themselves from judgements based on strong egalitarian norms. The existence of autonomous cliques in a policy area has important implications for: (1) political entrepreneurship, (2) organizational development, and (3) legitimacy in relation to the environment. The management and control via informal clique organization have received little attention. Thus, this study serves as a supplement to the literature on bureaucratic politics and organization theory.     

Elite Social Relations and Corporate Political Donations in Britain

Elite theory critiques of corporate political action rest on the claim that it advances the political interests of elite status groups. This article examines that claim by investigating the relationship between a British corporation's propensity to make donations to the Conservative party and its directors' educational backgrounds and social club affiliations. Using a structural equivalence blockmodel, it is shown that among the largest 250 British corporations in 1995 there was a set with directors who came from elite educational backgrounds and were members of elite social clubs. These corporations made a disproportionate number of donations. I argue that these results support the elite theory critique.     

Parliamentary elites in times of political transition: The case of Eastern Germany

This article seeks to contribute to a better understanding of elite and institutional (in this case parliamentary) changes in times of political transitions, and more specifically, to a better understanding of the political changes currently under way in Germany. In doing so, it illuminates patterns of élite change by looking at the composition of the state diets (Landtage) in the five new federal states which were created in October 1990. The focus is on predictors of explanation in elite recruitment and elite replacement. Elite replacement in 1990 was thorough and continued in 1994. Members of parliament display remarkably similar background and career characteristics within and across states. In turn, commonalities of origin and career have facilitated efficiency in parliamentary work.     

Spectacles of military urbanism in online representations of the Elite Squad of the military police of Rio de Janeiro: a multimodal approach

This paper presents a multimodal analysis of online self-representations of the Elite Squad of the military police of Rio de Janeiro, the Special Police Operations Battalion BOPE. The analysis is placed within the wider context of a “new military urbanism”, which is evidenced in the ongoing “Pacification” of many of the city's favelas, in which BOPE plays an active interventionist as well as a symbolic role, and is a kind of solution which clearly fails to address the root causes of violence which lie in poverty and social inequality. The paper first provides a sociocultural account of BOPE's role in Rio's public security and then looks at some of the mainly visual mediated discourses the Squad employs in constructing a public image of itself as a modern and efficient, yet at the same time “magical” police force.     

Legislative influences in Japanese budgetary politics

Following World War II (W.W.II), Japan adopted a democratic parliamentary system. Since its formation in 1955 the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had monopolized Japanese legislature (Diet) for over 35 years. However, it is said that at the center of the budgetary process was the Ministry of Finance (MOF). Elite bureaucrats rather than politicians are typically seen as the agenda-setter. The action of politicians, in particular members of the LDP, to influence the budgetary resource allocation has been largely unexamined. This paper empirically examines the influence of the LDP on the supplementary budget formation and on the revenue-sharing. We find that the LDP had a significant impact on the budget formation. Further, we find that the LDP manipulated transfers from the central government to local governments presumably to maintain its electoral positions.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
C ontemporary C hina : Papers presented at the University of Guelph Conference April 1968.
T he C ultural R evolution in C hina . By J oan R obinson .
C ommunism and C hina : Ideology in Flux. By B enjamin S chwartz .
M odern china's search for a political form . Edited by J ack G ray .
P eople's war : The Conditions and the Consequences in China and in South East Asia. By J. L. S. G irling .
S un yat-sen : His life and its meaning. By A. L. S harman .
C ontemporary C hina . Vol. IV 1962-64. Edited by E. S tuart K irby .
C hina in crisis . Vol. II: China's Policies in Asia and America's Alternatives. Edited by T ang T sou .
C apitalism and N ationalism in P rewar J apan : The Ideology of the Business Elite, 1868-1941. By B. K. M arshall .
P olitical D evelopment of M odern J apan . (Studies in the Modernisation of Japan, No. 4.) Edited by R. E. W ard .
Borough Politics. A Study of the Wolverhampton Borough Council 1888-1964. By G. W. Jones.
The S ociology of B ritish C ommunism . By K enneth N ewton .
H ong K ong : A S ociety in T ransition . C ontributions to the S tudy of H ong K ong S ociety . Edited By I. C. J arvie in consultation with J oseph A gassi .
B reach of S ecurity : T he G erman S ecret I ntelligence F ile on E vents L eading to the S econd W orld W ar . Edited By D avid I rving , with an Introduction by D onald C. W att .     

Going it Alone? The Choice of Political Union in British Politics

This article explores the inter‐related debates over Britain's relationship with the EU and that over the future of the UK. It argues that euroscepticism and Scottish independence are based on exceptionalist identities that now revolve around economic policy. Elite euroscepticism cleaves to a neoliberal vision of minimalist regulation, while advocates of Scottish independence claim Westminster's austerity policies make the British Union incompatible with social democracy. However, this presentation of the choice facing British voters ignores the serious contradictions that overhauling the current order entails. Both forms of exceptionalism fail to recognize the significant limitations of self‐government outside and within the EU. If Conservatives can contain their neoliberal flirtation with EU withdrawal they are very well placed to prosper electorally. The dilemma of which union(s) to choose might thus constitute the prelude to the entrenchment of the economic and political order that gave rise to such contestation in the first place.     

The Exaggerated Life of Death Panels? The Limited but Real Influence of Elite Rhetoric in the 2009–2010 Health Care Debate

Experiments demonstrate that elites can influence public opinion through framing. Yet outside laboratories or surveys, real-world constraints are likely to limit elites’ ability to reshape public opinion. Additionally, it is difficult to distinguish framing from related processes empirically. This paper uses the 2009–2010 health care debate, coupled with automated content analyses of elite- and mass-level language, to study real-world framing effects. Multiple empirical tests uncover limited but real evidence of elite influence. The language Americans use to explain their opinions proves generally stable, although there is also evidence that the public adopts the language of both parties’ elites symmetrically. Elite rhetoric does not appear to have strong effects on Americans’ overall evaluations of health care reform, but it can influence the reasons they provide for their evaluations. Methodologically, the automated analysis of elite rhetoric and open-ended questions shows promise in distinguishing framing from other communication effects and illuminating elite-mass interactions.     

Reviews & notes

Pierre Rosanvallon L'âge de l'autogestion (Paris, 1976, Editions du Seuil).

Daniel Zwerdling, Democracy at Work: A Guide to Workplace Ownership, Participation and Self‐Management Experiments in the United States and Europe (Washington, D.C.: Daniel Zwerdling, 1978). Distributed by Association for Self‐Management, c/o 1414 Spring Road, NW, Washington, D.C. 20010 ($5.50 for individuals/$10.50 for institutions).

Benjamin I. Page, Choices and Echoes in Presidential Elections: Rational Man and Electoral Democracy. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978. 336 pp. $17.50).

Richard Barnet and Ronald Muller, Global Reach (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974)

Giovanni Arrighi, “International Corporations, Labor Aristocracies and Economic Development in Tropical Africa,” in Arrighi and Saul, Essays on the Political Economy of Africa (New York: Monthly Review, 1973).

Henry Landsberger, “The Labor Elite: Is it Revolutionary?,” in Lipset and Solari (eds.), Elites in Latin America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1967).

Jürgen Habermas, Communication and the Evolution of Society, trans. Thomas McCarthy (Boston: Beacon Press, 1979. Pp. xxiv, 239. $5.95 paper).

Marshall Sahlins, Culture and Practical Reason (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976. Pp. xi, 252. $4.95 paper).

Leszek Kolakowski's long‐awaited survey of Marxism [Main Currents of Marxism: Its Rise, Growth and Dissolution, 3 volumes, translated from the Polish by P. S. Falla, Oxford University Press, 1978].     

American Think Tanks: Policy Elites and the Politicization of Expertise

This article examines policy expertise and the role of think tanks in the context of shifting political alignments in American government. The article first considers the radical and neoconservative critiques of the liberal use of an elite group — or "new class"— of policy experts to formulate and legitimate political reform agendas, a strategy said to represent a technocratic threat to the future of representative government. The discussion then focuses in particular on the neoconservative critique and its promotion of a counter strategy designed to politicize policy expertise through the development of a conservative "counterintelligensia" and the funding of partisan think tanks. The political outcome is seen to be a significant variation in the relationships linking expertise, think tanks, and the setting of national policy agendas. Elite think tanks, conceptualized as policy "discourse coalitions," are analyzed as institutional mechanisms for coordinating the advice of leading policy experts with the interests of economic and political elites. Although the experts' role in these policy-planning organizations falls short of the threat envisioned by the technocratic critique, the political implications of the emergent elite relationship between expertise and policy formation is nonetheless seen to pose troubling questions for both the theory and parctice of representative governance.     

Empowering the Party-Crasher: Donald J. Trump,the First 2016 GOP Presidential Debate,and the Twitter Marketplace for Political Campaigns

This article argues that an important political marketplace of keywords expands in social media around campaign events such as a debate; that rhetorical efforts to define the situation in which a campaign event occurs are met in this marketplace by user responses that more or less echo the keywords, thereby enhancing or diminishing the political power of their “caller” or speaker; and that social media monitoring platforms can enhance our understanding of public opinion influence competitions among candidates through the careful selection, tabulation, and inspection of words and phrases being voiced. In the case at hand, an analysis of Twitter volume data and a reading of a sample of 1200 tweets between July 30 and August 15, 2015, a period enveloping the first 2016 Republican presidential candidate debate on August 6, 2015, helps us understand how Donald J. Trump escaped political punishment from party and media elites for subverting Republican and U.S. norms of candidate behavior. Elite voices greatly disapproved of Trump’s debate performance and conduct, a traditional augury of declining public support. But the presence of social media voices enhanced Trump’s capacity to succeed with an insurgent marketing strategy, one he would continue into his election as president fifteen months later. Specifically, comparatively high user volume on a debate-oriented section of Twitter (i.e., posts with the hashtag #GOPDebate) for Trump’s name, slogan, and Twitter address, and for such advantageous keywords as “political correctness,” “Megyn Kelly,” and “illegal immigration” relative to terms and phrases favoring other candidates and Republicans as a whole indicates the presence of heavy and active popular support for Trump. The contents of the corresponding tweet sample exhibit Twitter-savvy techniques and populist stances by which the Trump campaign solicited that support: celebrity feuding, callouts to legacy media allies, featured fan comments, a blunt vernacular, and confrontational branding. The contents also illustrate ways in which users manifested their support: from the aforementioned high keyword volume to imitative behavior and the supplying of evidence to verify Trump’s contested claims during the debate.