Elite recruitment in Australia : a comparative study

Abstract

There is much debate as to the place recruitment studies should occupy in the sociology of elites. In the literature quoted in this study there are examples of the most extreme positions in the debate: those who try to find answers for almost all important questions through the investigation of elites' backgrounds and careers, and those who reject recruitment studies as a futile exercise. Paradoxically, both positions contain elements of truth. As we argue in Chapter 6, none of the important issues in elite analyses, such as problems of elite power, openness and integration, can be resolved without looking at leaders' recruitment patterns. On the other hand, the study of elites' recruitment cannot substitute for inquiries into the formation, structure, power bases, attitudes and behaviour of elites.