Democratic Elitism and the Autonomy of Elites

Bibliographic Data

ID6299386
AuthorsFrank Bealey (corresponding author)
Year1996
Volume17
Issue3
Pages319-331
Publication date1996-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Political Science Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0192-5121 • E-ISSN: 1460-373X
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/019251296017003009
OpenAlexW2052727919
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited18

Commentators have been divided about the degree to which democracy can be reconciled with the existence of elites. Some have seen them as a threat to democracy; others, the “democratic elitists,” have perceived their autonomy as a necessary ingredient of a democratic polity. This article contends that it is not possible to generalize about the attitude of elites to democracy. Some of them, like the military, by virtue of their functions, have values which are unlikely to foster democracy; others have values and procedures which are congenial to the democratic ethos. Elite autonomy cannot be a meta-principle of democracy

Autonomy · Democracy · Elite · Elitism · Ethos · Law and economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Polity · Sociology · Virtue · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Political Philosophy and Ethics

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