Elitism
Elitism and Institutional Power
Most scholars would acknowledge that all societies are governed by elites in some form or another. Political scientists Harold Laswell and Daniel Lerner elaborate further by stating, “The discovery that in all large scale societies the decisions at any given time are typically in the hands of small number of people confirms a basic fact: Government is always government by the few, whether in the name of the few, the one, or the many” (Dye, 2002).
Author Thomas Dye, in his book “Who's Running America? The Bush Restoration,” addresses several key sectors of power in which elitists exercise control over the many. These include banking, investments, insurance, law, media, government, and more (Dye, 2002). As part of the oligarchy process, power is concentrated into the hands of a few people occupying key positions in the aforementioned sectors. Government, being an oligarchy itself, is not without its elitists for sure. Positions in government provide one of the most important ingredients of elitism, and that is power. Governmental elitists direct, manage, and guide programs, policies, and activities of major institutions within society through their offices of authority. They possess the ability to affect and influence public policy over the masses, to some extent more than any other group.
Many politicians themselves are part of the national economic elite (Phillips, 2002). However, although many are financially prosperous, economics alone does not ensure the attainment of power. The combination of occupying key positions, having access to major institutions, and forming pivotal relationships help provide fundamental elements for elitism and institutional power.
The Office of the President of the United States is without doubt one key position which lends itself to influence and control over many areas of American life. Today, George W. Bush occupies that distinguished position. President George W....
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