Elite theory

Elite theory holds that societies are governed by relatively small, cohesive groups whose power exceeds that of the wider population. It examines how elites gain, maintain, and transfer power.

Vilfredo Pareto: An Italian sociologist and economist who developed a theory of elites and their circulation. His account of elite circulation is one of the theory’s founding formulations.
Iron law of oligarchy: Robert Michels’s proposition that large organizations tend to concentrate authority in a leadership minority. It describes organizational pressures that can produce elite rule.
Pluralism (political theory): A theory that political power is dispersed among competing groups rather than concentrated in one ruling elite. Pluralism directly challenges the claim that cohesive elites dominate political decisions.
Power elite: C. Wright Mills’s concept of interconnected leaders in the corporate, military, and political institutions of the United States. It is a prominent, historically specific account of elite theory in the United States.
Democratic deficit: A perceived shortfall between democratic principles and the way institutions make or enforce decisions. Elite influence can widen the gap between popular preferences and policy outcomes.
Gaetano Mosca: An Italian political theorist who argued that organized minorities rule over unorganized majorities. His ruling-class concept explains why a small group can dominate a larger population.
Circulation of elites: Vilfredo Pareto’s account of elites being replaced by new elites over time. Elite turnover can change who governs without ending minority rule.
Marxist theory: A social and political theory that explains history and power through class relations and material production. Marxist accounts center class and economic structure where elite theory centers governing minorities.
Political elite: People who hold or strongly influence positions of political authority. Political elites are the central actors in many applications of the theory.
Political inequality: Unequal ability among people to influence political decisions and outcomes. Unequal influence is a central consequence that elite theory seeks to explain.

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