Network W: Elites and Power Structures
Network W aims to advance knowledge about elites and elite power structures historically and in the current socio-economic order. A central argument for the work is that in order to understand the current socio-economic order, we must understand the individuals at the top of these orders and not least how they are united and divided across economic, political and cultural lines. We aim to contribute both theoretically and empirically to this tradition, and especially by linking heterodox economics, economic sociology and political economy to the study of elites, examining gender, race, ethnicity, and class background and employing innovative methodologies to study elites and elite power.
By utilizing the international scope of the SASE network and the diversity of expertise within it, our goal is to build a stronger comparative framework with deeper linkages to other fields in political economy, economic sociology, and related areas. We aim to foster discussions on the broader scope of elite research, addressing questions raised by classical traditions such as Marx, Weber, Mills, Bourdieu, and others. Participants are expected to present theoretical and empirical work on power elites while positioning their research in a comparative framework to grasp how elite constellations form national and international power structures. New and innovative methodological approaches in studying elites are encouraged in order to advance the understanding of linked phenomena such as inequality, market dynamics, institutional change, and the organization of economic power.
Network W Organizers

Bruno Cousin

Christoph Houman Ellersgaard

Robyn Klingler-Vidra

Elisa Klüger

André Vereta Nahoum

Elisa Reis

Thierry Rossier
