Political Capitalism

Political Capitalism
Author: Randall G. Holcombe
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2018-07-19
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1108596126

Problems associated with cronyism, corporatism, and policies that favor the elite over the masses have received increasing attention in recent years. Political Capitalism explains that what people often view as the result of corruption and unethical behavior are symptoms of a distinct system of political economy. The symptoms of political capitalism are often viewed as the result of government intervention in a market economy, or as attributes of a capitalist economy itself. Randall G. Holcombe combines well-established theories in economics and the social sciences to show that political capitalism is not a mixed economy, or government intervention in a market economy, or some intermediate step between capitalism and socialism. After developing the economic theory of political capitalism, Holcombe goes on to explain how changes in political ideology have facilitated the growth of political capitalism, and what can be done to redirect public policy back toward the public interest.

Elites, Ideas, and the Evolution of Public Policy

Elites, Ideas, and the Evolution of Public Policy
Author: M. Smyrl
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2016-04-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0230612997

Seen from the outside, the world of politics and policy-making seems to be in constant flux. Combining theoretical analysis with primary research, this book brings new light to the neglected problem of why individuals with a vested interest in current policies nevertheless promote reform.

Private Wealth and Public Revenue

Private Wealth and Public Revenue
Author: Tasha Fairfield
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2015-03-05
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1107088372

This book identifies sources of power that help business and economic elites influence policy decisions.

Authoritarianism and the Elite Origins of Democracy

Authoritarianism and the Elite Origins of Democracy
Author: Michael Albertus
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2018-01-25
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 110819642X

This book argues that - in terms of institutional design, the allocation of power and privilege, and the lived experiences of citizens - democracy often does not restart the political game after displacing authoritarianism. Democratic institutions are frequently designed by the outgoing authoritarian regime to shield incumbent elites from the rule of law and give them an unfair advantage over politics and the economy after democratization. Authoritarianism and the Elite Origins of Democracy systematically documents and analyzes the constitutional tools that outgoing authoritarian elites use to accomplish these ends, such as electoral system design, legislative appointments, federalism, legal immunities, constitutional tribunal design, and supermajority thresholds for change. The study provides wide-ranging evidence for these claims using data that spans the globe and dates from 1800 to the present. Albertus and Menaldo also conduct detailed case studies of Chile and Sweden. In doing so, they explain why some democracies successfully overhaul their elite-biased constitutions for more egalitarian social contracts.

Studying the Power Elite

Studying the Power Elite
Author: G. William Domhoff
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2017-08-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1351588613

This book critiques and extends the analysis of power in the classic, Who Rules America?, on the fiftieth anniversary of its original publication in 1967—and through its subsequent editions. The chapters, written especially for this book by twelve sociologists and political scientists, provide fresh insights and new findings on many contemporary topics, among them the concerted attempt to privatize public schools; foreign policy and the growing role of the military-industrial component of the power elite; the successes and failures of union challenges to the power elite; the ongoing and increasingly global battles of a major sector of agribusiness; and the surprising details of how those who hold to the egalitarian values of social democracy were able to tip the scales in a bitter conflict within the power elite itself on a crucial banking reform in the aftermath of the Great Recession. These social scientists thereby point the way forward in the study of power, not just in the United States, but globally. A brief introductory chapter situates Who Rules America? within the context of the most visible theories of power over the past fifty years—pluralism, Marxism, Millsian elite theory, and historical institutionalism. Then, a chapter by G. William Domhoff, the author of Who Rules America?, takes us behind the scenes on how the original version was researched and written, tracing the evolution of the book in terms of new concepts and research discoveries by Domhoff himself, as well as many other power structure researchers, through the 2014 seventh edition. Readers will find differences of opinion and analysis from chapter to chapter. The authors were encouraged to express their views independently and frankly. They do so in an admirable and useful fashion that will stimulate everyone’s thinking on these difficult and complex issues, setting the agenda for future studies of power.

The Palgrave Handbook of Political Elites

The Palgrave Handbook of Political Elites
Author: Heinrich Best
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 694
Release: 2017-11-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1137519045

This handbook presents a comprehensive view of the current theory and research surrounding political elites, which is now a pivotal subject for academic study and public discourse. In 40 chapters by leading scholars, it displays the field’s richness and diversity. The handbook is organized in six sections, each introduced by a co-editor, focusing on theories about political elites, methods for studying them, their main structural and behavioral patterns worldwide, the differentiation and integration of political elite sectors, elite attributes and resources, and the dilemmas of political elites in this century. Forty years since Robert Putnam’s landmark Comparative Study of Political Elites, this handbook is an indispensable resource for scholars and students engaged in the study of this vibrant field.

Power Elites in Organizations

Power Elites in Organizations
Author: G. William Domhoff
Publisher: SAGE Publications, Incorporated
Total Pages: 304
Release: 1987-03
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

These essays comprise recent theory and research on the role of elites within society. Four empirical studies consider power structures within organizations - corporations, government agencies and private social service agencies. The ways in which private organizations and their leaders relate to government are explored and theoretical essays on the role of elites from different perspectives are presented.

Theories of the State

Theories of the State
Author: Patrick Dunleavy
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 394
Release: 1987-05-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1349186651

A major introductory textbook for students of politics, sociology and public administration on theories of the state and of politics. The five core chapters each introduce a major school of thought providing a substantial analysis of the methodology and philosophy, as well as the main objections and criticisms to which each has given rise. The theories and examples are drawn from a wide range of industrial societies.