Chapter 7

Chapter Summary

There are many kinds of elite in developed societies like the UK, each with their own systems of selection and advancement. Research into social mobility suggests the main pool out of which elites are chosen is the wealthy upper middle class. While state schooling has improved over the years, it is still the small (7%) private sector which dominates subsequent membership of the main social and occupational elites: the law, medicine, the military, public administration, the media, members of parliament. The ‘super rich’ provide the upper level of the wealth elite and clearly seek to influence politicians to govern in their interests.

Learning Objectives

• Identify different types of elite.
• Explain something of social mobility in UK, drawing upon three studies from the past decade.
• To show how the key recruiting pool for most of the important elites has been the upper middle class.
• Explore the provenance of our ruling elites.

Quizzes

Test your knowledge with the Chapter 7 quizzes!

Quiz

Question 1

Which philosophy promotes the political narrative of an \’us\’ against \’them\’ in reference to the ordinary people being in opposition to the political elite

Conservatism

Nationalism

Populism

Liberalism

Environmentalism

None

Question 2

The electing of people to govern society for a period of time before subjecting them to re-election refers to which style of democracy?

Representative

Direct

Absolute

Consensus

Guided

None

Question 3

Britain’s dominant ruling elite, as a concept, is referred to by which term

The Rulers

Those in Power

The High Class

The Establishment

The Elite Group

None

Question 4

Which group within British society have particularly struggled to enter the competition for upward social mobility

Men

University Educated

Secondary School Educated

Working Class

Women

None

Question 5

PM Keir Starmer’s first 2024 cabinet was the most diverse on record for which characteristic?

Ethnic Minority

Education

Sexuality

Gender

Previous Occupation

None

Question 6

Research has found that British elites are mainly selected from a pool of which social class

Working Class

Upper Middle Class

Lower Middle Class

Upper Class

Under Class

None

Question 7

Scholars speak of there being a Golden Age for social mobility in the UK during which decades

1950 – 1970

1890-1900

1920-1940

2010-2020

1980-2010

None

Question 8

Social refers to the ease in which people can move up through the social strata of society

Question 9

The Brexit vote was theorised by some as a revolt against the governing elites in

Question 10

Any given society can have forms of elites

Time’s up

Discussion Questions

1. Definitions of who the elite are change across time, place, and philosophy. How might these definitions of the elite vary across members of different political parties here in the UK?
2. Both the left and right of the political spectrum generally hold social mobility as a popular idea although their objectives and outcomes for social mobility differ. Thinking about the philosophical approach the left and right wing generally hold, how might their approach to social mobility vary?

Weblinks

The Sutton Trust – A leading research organization focused on social mobility and educational inequality in the UK. (https://www.suttontrust.com)

Social Mobility Commission – An independent UK government body analyzing and promoting policies to improve social mobility. (https://socialmobility.independent-commission.uk/)

The London School of Economics (LSE) Inequalities Blog – Covers research on social mobility, elite reproduction, and economic inequality. (https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/inequalities/)

The UK Parliament – Education Committee Reports on Social Mobility – Government reports on inequality in education and elite recruitment. (https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/203/education-committee)

Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) – Think tank research on economic justice and inequality. (https://www.ippr.org)

Flashcards

Refresh your knowledge of key terms with this chapter’s flashcards.

Timeline