Theoretical Interpretations of Elite Change in East Central Europe

Abstract

Elite theory enjoyed a remarkable revival in Central and Eastern Europe, and also in international social science research, during the 1990s. Many researchers coming from different schools of thought turned to the analysis of rapid political and social changes and ended up doing centered research. Since democratic transition and elite transformation seemed to be parallel processes, it was understandable that sociologists and political scientists of the region started to use elite theory. The idea of "third wave" of democratization advanced a reduced, more synthetic, "exportable" understanding of democracy in the political science literature. The main focus of social sciences shifted from structures to actors, from path dependency to institutional choices. Transitions, roundtable negotiations, institution-building, constitution-making, compromise-seeking, pactmaking, pact-breaking, strategic choices — all of these underlined the importance of elites and research on them. Elite settlements were seen as alternatives of social revolution. According to a widely shared view democratic institutions came into existence through negotiations and compromises among political elites calculating their own interests and desires. The elite settlement approach was then followed by some important contributions in transitology which described the process of regime change largely as "elite games." By offering a systematic overview of the theoretical interpretations of elite change from New Class theory to recent theorizing of elite change (conversion of capital, reproduction, circulation, political capitalism, technocratic continuity, three elites and the like), the paper also gives an account of the state of the arts in elite studies in different new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe.

Social Change and Anomie: A Cross-National Study

“…We follow the practice of the comparative literature and treat these nations as a group (Bozoki 2003;Duch 1995;Hanley 2003;King and Sznajder 2006), fully aware of many economic, historical, linguistic, political and social differences among them (see Walder 2003 for a detailed discussion of these differences and their consequences).…”

Decline of Elite Consensus and Destabilization of Political Space in East-Central Europe

“…The configuration of national elites, meaning the relative position and size of various elite circles in the constellation of power, differs considerably from one post-socialist country to another, and the same is true for the balance between the reproduction and circulation of elites (Dogan 2003;Bozoki 2003, Lengyel et al 2007) It is precisely the balance and relations among the recently emerged factions of the post-socialist elite that decisively determine the character of political regimes (primarily in terms of the division of power in society; i.e., the level of its dispersal or concentration, as well as social order as a whole).…”

Introduction: Anxiety at the Top

“…Former communists were rather successful in obtaining and maintaining top positions in the countries' newly established private sector, although the enormous expansion of the private sector created opportunities for the emergence of new elites as well (e.g. Böröcz and Róna-Tas 1995, Bozoki 2003, Dogan and Higley 1998, Szelényi and Szelényi 1995.…”