THE SOCIAL VALUES OF THE ELITES
Abstract
Generally, elite means: “the high layer or an elevated position” (Sartori. 1961, p.94), and it defines both the governmental elites and also the nongovernmental ones, in other words "not only those that possess and exert the power, but also those that significantly control and influence the decision-making" (idem).
In a strict sense, the term of elite refers to the political elite seen as the unique holder of power within a society, as a relatively homogenous and well organized group.
Appreciatively, elite refers to individuals that transcend by value or capacities. This is, in fact, the paretian meaning of the term. All these meanings of the term “elite” lead to its understanding as being compound of groups or categories of persons found on the peak of different "structures of authority or of dividing the resources" (Scott. 2001. p. 9). Thus, elites are the leaders, the rich, the influent persons or the privileged ones.
The sociological literature related to this theme reveals the existence of four criteria for defining the elites: the value or meritocratic criterion, the positional or functional criterion, the capital criterion and the expert appraisal criterion.
References
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