How white is the global elite? An analysis of race, gender and network structure

Abstract

Research on elites often utilizes network analysis to describe and analyse the interrelationships among elites and how their prominence varies by demographic characteristics. We examine the diversity of global elites through an analysis of the board members of large corporations, think tanks, international organizations, and transnational policy planning groups. Using new data, we provide the first descriptive picture of global elite networks in terms of race and gender. We also test the ‘core–periphery’ hypothesis, which predicts that as non‐whites and women achieve elite positions they will be marginalized to the periphery of elite networks, while the core remains significantly more white and male. We find consistent evidence for the core–periphery hypothesis across a range of empirical tests, from simple k‐coring to various core–periphery models. Most groups decline in their representation in the core, and this includes white women. White men are the only group that increases in representation in the core compared to the periphery.

Is there a global super‐bourgeoisie?

“…Kevin Young et al. (2021) conducted a study of the approximately 1600 board members of 96 organizations among the largest corporations, think tanks, transnational policy planning groups, and NGOs. They demonstrate that white men, already a majority of board members within the sample, are the only group to see their representation increase as one moves closer to the inner core of the global elite network.…”

Where is the backbone of the transnational corporate elite?

“…The prominence of these particular cities among the highest ones in the eigenvector centrality confirms that there is a part of the global corporate elite network which is formed and centered around the Anglo-American identity. Young et al (2021) show similar patterns in their study of gender and race of the transnational elite members. This article establishes that there is a core group of the transnational elite; its members are highly homogeneous in terms of their race, gender, nationality.…”

“…They analyse the network of individuals connected by common board positions, participation in parties, affiliation with important institutions and, step-by-step excluding the least connected individuals from the network, come to the core of this national elite network. Young et al (2021) also apply the core detection methodology to study racial and gender composition of the transnational elite, uncovering how it remains highly homogeneous and exclusive. In sum, the core detection is aimed at detecting a group of highly connected and highly clustered nodes within the network.…”

“…This article establishes that there is a core group of the transnational elite; its members are highly homogeneous in terms of their race, gender, nationality. Moreover, Young et al (2021) demonstrate that if non-whites and women achieve elite positions, they are often marginalized to the periphery of elite networks over time, while the core remains significantly more white and male.…”

“…However, this integration of national elite groups into international circles does not take place at the same pace, and some individual elite members have higher chances of entering them than others. National‐international links, forged by transnational professionals tend to follow particular class, educational and linguistic affinities, and transnational elite members are often characterized by common backgrounds and origins (Harrington, 2017 ; Harrington & Seabrooke, 2020 ; Young et al., 2021 ). While one might argue that today we are observing the rise of new powerful economic centers, which could be said to be rebalancing power relationships among various elite groups, others will be more prone to conclude that only actors with highly specific backgrounds and origins are able to join the forces of this newly flourishing network of transnational corporations, organizations and policy‐planning groups (see e.g., a discussion on hegemony, fields and institutional approaches to understanding transnational elites in Henriksen & Seabrooke, 2021 ).…”