ELITE NETWORKS IN GERMANY AND BRITAIN

This study considers the social organisation of the economic elite in Germany and Britain. Specifically, the-analysis focuses on the interna l structure df this social group, which is termed an 'elite network'. The resources on which the dominance of the economic elite is based ar e bureaucratic power, ownership and social capital. In institutional c apitalism the power of managers is based not only on their hierarchica l position within large corporations, but also on the fact that they ' represent' ownership within the network of associated firms. Additiona l topics considered in the course of the analysis include the forms of social control to which the economic elite is subject, the degree of internal competition and co-operation, and the st-ability of networks over time (circulation of the elite). The analysis shows how bureaucra tic control over a company is linked with ownership of a company in th e context of specific network configurations. These network configurat ions vary between countries and lead to differing forms of managerial control within institutional capitalism.