Olav Korsnes

In this article, we discuss how Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of fields can be applied in comparative studies of the field of power. Using Norway as our empirical case, we discuss typical methodological challenges one encounters when uncovering the structures of social space and the field of power. Thereafter, we focus on the fundamental, but often neglected difference between empirical and theoretical generalizations. By applying Geometric Data Analysis to the Norway Leadership survey of 2000-2001, we address two main issues: the thesis of the existence of a Norwegian political dynasty, whose members easily circulate between top positions and sectors in the Norwegian society, and the structural opposition between the “inheritors” and the “outsiders”. The results not only demonstrate the validity of Bourdieu’s work outside French society, but also that his methodological approach may produce new insights about processes of societal change in societies other than France.

Since the financial crisis, the issue of the ‘one percent’ has become the centre of intense public debate, unavoidable even for members of the elite themselves. Moreover, inquiring into elites has taken centre-stage once again in both journalistic investigations and academic research. New Directions in Elite Studies attempts to move the social scientific study of elites beyond economic analysis, which has greatly improved our knowledge of inequality, but is restricted to income and wealth. In contrast, this book mobilizes a broad scope of research methods to uncover the social composition of the power elite – the ‘field of power’. It reconstructs processes through which people gain access to positions in this particular social space, examines the various forms of capital they mobilize in the process – economic, but also cultural and social capital – and probes changes over time and variations across national contexts. Bringing together the most advanced research into elites by a Eur...

Šiandienos mokslinėje literatūroje vis labiau įsigali termino naujoji ekonomikos sociologija vartojimas. Visuotinai pripažįstama, kad šis terminas atsirado kartu su Marko Granovetterio straipsniu "Ekonominis veiksmas ir socialinė struktūra: steigties problema", kuris pasirodė 1985-aisiais metais. Verta pažymėti, kad tais pačiais, 1985-aisiais, metais pasirodęs Michaelio Rose'o kritinis straipsnis apie bendruomeninį požiūrį (societal approach) į ekonomikos institutus buvo daug kuo panašus į Granovetterio programą. Šiame straipsnyje nagrinėjami teorinių ir metodologinių aspektų panašumai ir skirtumai tarp anksčiau minėtos programos ir europinės kilmės "bendruomeninio požiūrio". Keliamas klausimas ir apie šių dviejų koncepcijų poveikį empirinių tyrimų praktikai. Kartu pabrėžiama, kad tokia analizė padeda paaiškinti skirtumus bei panašumus tarp naujosios ekonomikos sociologijos ir kitų požiūrių į ekonomikos mokslą. Ir dar vienas svarbus dalykas: čia svarstomi ir ...

ABSTRACT In this chapter we map lifestyle differences in Norway, analysing survey data on cultural participation by way of Geometrical Data Analysis. We find clear signs of a class-structured distribution of cultural practices, which suggests that cultural distinctions are at work in a society often depicted as ‘egalitarian’. Using the recently developed technique Class Specific Analysis to analyse internal divisions in a subsample of teenage respondents, the analysis reveals that teenagers from educated homes are those most prone to engage in scholastic and institutionally recognised activities. Thus, the analysis points to prevailing class reproduction in the cultural sphere.

This paper analyses social capital structures in the field of power, based on data from the Norwegian Power and Democracy Survey on elites. Separating between objectified, institutionalised, embodied, and inherited social capital, and inspired by Bourdieu's approach, we analyse the relations between social capital and the other forms of capital by way of specific multiple correspondence analysis and ascending hierarchical cluster analysis. First, we find that the level of institutionalised social capital varies from one fraction of the Norwegian elite to another. Secondly, the range of networks established through previous work experiences is related to field seniority. Thirdly, the positions of highest endogamy are situated in the religious field, and to a lesser extent, in the scientific field, and in the juridical field. Finally, the ‘core of the core’ is defined by actors who are strongly interconnected inside what is called ‘the tripartite system’, with a high level of mult...

the valuable service of reality-testing some popular caricatures, and finding them wanting. Yet one wishes that Whittaker had a bit more of his mentor, Dore’s, penchant for rich, even at times extravagant, speculation. While the book contains useful reviews of the deskilling debate, the role of culture in Japanese work organization, and related topics, Whittaker generally stays close to his data. The book ends having laid out all the real-life complexity of technology, skill, and organization in the British and Japanese workplace but with a somewhat less than satisfying effort on the author’s part to pull it all together and contemplate its larger significance. In the final analysis, though, this weakness pales alongside the real value that Whittaker’s investigation adds. Managing Innovation is a significant contribution to the research literature on Japan-Western contrasts in work organization and technology. It warrants broad attention.

In this article, we discuss how Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of fields can be applied in comparative studies of the field of power. Using Norway as our empirical case, we discuss typical methodological challenges one encounters when uncovering the structures of social space and the field of power. Thereafter, we focus on the fundamental, but often neglected difference between empirical and theoretical generalizations. By applying Geometric Data Analysis to the Norway Leadership survey of 2000-2001, we address two main issues: the thesis of the existence of a Norwegian political dynasty, whose members easily circulate between top positions and sectors in the Norwegian society, and the structural opposition between the “inheritors” and the “outsiders”. The results not only demonstrate the validity of Bourdieu’s work outside French society, but also that his methodological approach may produce new insights about processes of societal change in societies other than France.

This article analyzes capital structures among women in the Norwegian field of power, based on data from the Norwegian Power and Democracy Survey on élites. Inspired by Bourdieu’s field theoretical approach, and by way of class specific multiple correspondence analysis and ascending hierarchical cluster analysis, we find that three main capital axes separate internally among the women, in contrast to four among the men. Whereas economic capital polarizes strongly internally among men and in the global field of power, this dimension is not a powerful capital dimension internally among the women. With respect to social capital assets, there are no major differences between men and women when it comes to the degree of endogamy, but sectorial differences are found between the women. Finally, three main subgroups of women are identified: “outsiders,” “meritocrats” and “inheritors.”

Presently three dominant theoretical frameworks for studies of social mobility can be singled out: Erik Olin Wright's marxist class model, John H. Goldthorpe's class scheme, and Pierre Bourdieu's notion of social space'. These frameworks are associated with uses of different statistical tools and techniques of data analysis. In this article we argue that combinations of such tools and techniques of data analysis, within the framework of'social space', may contribute to further development both of that framework and social mobility studies in general. The argument is substantiated through an analysis of intergenerational educational mobility trajectories and barriers in the Norwegian 'social space', based on data on four post-war cohorts.

In the social sciences, multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) owes much of its fame to the work of the late Pierre Bourdieu (1930–2002). Now classic works like L’anatomie du gout (Bourdieu and de St. Martin 1976), Le patronat (Bourdieu and de St. Martin 1978), Distinction (Bourdieu 1984 [1979]), Homo Academicus (Bourdieu 1984) and State Nobility (1996 [1989]) all relied heavily on the use of either simple correspondence analysis (CA) or multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). By subjecting data on various forms of capital distributions to CA or MCA, field structures were objectified and the homology thesis, i.e. fields in the modern French society was structured in similar ways.

Eit høgt innslag av sosial mobilitet har vorte sett på som eit sentralt trekk ved velfungerande liberaldemokratiske styresett. Likevel finst det få studiar av mobiliteten ut av eliteposisjonar. Denne artikkelen tek føre seg denne problematikken i ein analyse av to fødselskohortar i det seinmoderne Noreg. Kva element av endring og kontinuitet kjem til syne? Og kva kan mobilitetsmønstra fortelje om elitanes verdsetjingar av så vel yrker som utdanningsretningar?

This article analyzes capital structures among women in the Norwegian field of power, based on data from the Norwegian Power and Democracy Survey on élites. Inspired by Bourdieu’s field theoretical approach, and by way of class specific multiple correspondence analysis and ascending hierarchical cluster analysis, we find that three main capital axes separate internally among the women, in contrast to four among the men. Whereas economic capital polarizes strongly internally among men and in the global field of power, this dimension is not a powerful capital dimension internally among the women. With respect to social capital assets, there are no major differences between men and women when it comes to the degree of endogamy, but sectorial differences are found between the women. Finally, three main subgroups of women are identified: “outsiders,” “meritocrats” and “inheritors.”

Siandienos mokslineje literatfiroje vis labiau jsigali terrnino naujoji ekonornikos sociologija vartojimas. Visuotinai pripaijstarna, kad Sis terrninas atsirado kartu su Marko Granovetterio straipsniu "Ekonorninis veiksrnas ir socialine struktura: steigties problema", kuris pasirode 1985-aisiais metais. Verta paiymeti, kad tais pai-iais, 1985-aisiais, metais pasirodes Michaelio Rose'o kritinis straipsnis apie bendruomenini poiiuri (societal approach) i ekonornikos institutus buvo daug kuo panaius i Granovetterio prograrnq. Siarne straipsnyje nagrinejarni teoriniy ir metodologiniy aspekty panaSumai ir skirtumai tarp anksi-iau minetos programos ir europines kilmes "bendruomeninio poiiurio". Keliamas klausirnas ir apie Siy dviejq koncepcijy poveikj ernpiriniy tyrimy praktikai. Kartu pabreiiama, kad tokia analize padeda paaiikinti skirtumus bei panaSurnus tarp naujosios ekonomikos sociologijos ir kity poiiiiriq j ekonomikos rnokslq. Ir dar vienas svarbus dalykas:...

Applying Bourdieu’s theory of the field of power in an empirical investigation involves a series of methodological and theoretical challenges. Even though elites can be identified in most modern societies, this does not imply that the respective fields of power are identical and that Bourdieu’s empirical strategy for analysing the French case can simply be replicated. This would imply a de-contextualisation and de-historicisation of the research object and thus constitute an analytical pre-construction that is incompatible with the original research program. Based on our experiences from constructing a Norwegian field of power, we address three challenges that must be met in an empirical construction of a field of power: challenges relating to, implicitly or explicitly, doing a comparative field analysis, challenges involved when relying on register data or data collected for purposes other than doing a field analysis, and challenges involved when constructing proxies for specific t...

Despite calls for bridging the gap between the sociology of social class and the sociology of elites, there are few examples where this actually has been done. This article seeks to do so by applying approachesand statistical techniques commonly used in studies of social mobility in an analysis of circulation mobility in elite formations. Based on register data on the whole Norwegian population born 1955-1975, we analyze the educational and professional intergenerational mobility among “the successful inheritors”. In this way, and by focusing on mobility barriers and trajectories, we seek to uncover patterns of stability and change in family dynastic relations, i.e. relations that primarily are based on inheritedforms of capital. These patterns can also reveal what forms of intergenerational capital conversion have been the most common,and therefore also the most acceptable, in the upper and upper middle classes in postwar Norway, and what conversions have been less common. The resu...

Since the financial crisis, the issue of the ‘one percent’ has become the centre of intense public debate, unavoidable even for members of the elite themselves. Moreover, inquiring into elites has taken centre-stage once again in both journalistic investigations and academic research.

... 62, 1977; M. Egeberg, JP Olsen, and H. Sæuren, 'Organisasjonssamfunnet og den segmenterte stat' (The Corporate Society and the Segmented State'), Kirke og Kultur, No. 5/6, 1975; G. Hernes, 'Markedet som domstol' (The Market as Judge'), Norges Industri, No. ...

ABSTRACT In the first part of the article an attempt is made to locate the trade unions' position in their various relations to the buyers of labor in a capitalist economy. The position is considered a contradictory one, and the concept of the trade unions' double position is used to designate this position. The concept of the trade unions' double function refers to the consequences of their activity in this position.Given this designation of the trade unions' position, we point to the strategic importance of the degree of unionization and the level of local union activity with respect to the development of an industrial democracy. We distinguish between two models of democracy: the representative and the participatory. Two extensive Norwegian research projects are used to illustrate the differences and similarities between these different models of democracy. The problem of local union activity is considered to be crucial in this connection.In the last part of the article we draw special attention to the problem of unionization. This problem is regarded as closely related to the trade unions' organizational forms, and it is discussed with reference to pro posed changes in the organizational structure of the Norwegian LO.In a synthesis of the various themes of the article we point to the relationship that exists between local union activity and degree of unioni zation, and how this relationship, in turn, is connected with the trade unions' double function and different strategies to increase the employees' influence. The aim of the article is to offer a fruitful preliminary approach to the study of these rather complex interrelationships.

ABSTRACT Drawing on the work of Bourdieu and de Saint-Martin (1978), the purpose of this chapter is to objectivate elite structures of power and figurations through an analysis of the dominant capital structures and oppositions in “the Norwegian field of power.” By way of specific multiple correspondence analysis, we seek to uncover the dimensionality of a structured space of relations, where the figurations of elite positions and the relations between them can be objectivated in terms of a field of power. Data originate from the Leadership survey 2000—2001, conducted by the Power and Democracy Project, and consists of 1,710 persons holding formal, leading positions in ten central sectors in Norway. The sample includes the top generals, bishops, leading university officials, higher civil servants, top politicians, supreme court judges, leaders of NGO's and the CEO's, NCEO's and chairmen of the largest private and public companies, including the cooperatives. Our analysis of the Norwegian field of power indicate that not only is Bourdieu's work valid outside French society, but also that “quantifying Bourdieu” may produce new insights about processes of societal change in other societies than the French one.

This article, in the line of Bourdieu (1989), belongs to the research domain about elites and the field of power. Using data from the Norwegian Power & Democracy survey on elites, conducted in 2000, it specifically seeks to uncover the main dimensions and fractions in the ...