Elite Dynamics and Political Gamesmanship: Exploring the Modern Stage of Elitogenesis

According to the contemporary stage of elitist origin, elite rivalry is the primary driver of societal change. In this way, the most potent catalysts for significant inventions and politically motivated initiatives in contemporary governments are the political ploys and manipulations of elite groups. However, the ways in which the ruling circles actually carry out their duties are more closely linked to coalitional forms of political dominance that emerge at the nexus of the interests of different elite groups, a confluence of their status and unofficial connections. However, their managerial competencies have not grown as much as the population as a whole, which sets the stage for decision-making and resource allocation to become more opaque. Clarifying the true effects of these changes on the dynamics of the ruling class as well as the interactions between the state and society presents a study challenge in this setting. The use of network approaches and structural and functional research methods enables us to state that, even today, the coalition “games” in the ruling class signal the structural self-renewal of the ruling circles, bringing more autonomous (post) elite communities that control key resource allocation mechanisms while simultaneously losing their responsibility to society. This is in addition to the adjustment of political projects or ideological and political compromises in updating government strategies. In addition to enhancing the latent character of public policy development and the distance between them, their informal means of influencing public policy aim to deepen the internal differences within the ruling circles.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
RUDN Journal of Political Science
Published
2025-07-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-1438-2025-27-2-272-284
Primary Topic
Gender Politics and Representation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Elite Dynamics and Political Gamesmanship: Exploring the Modern Stage of Elitogenesis

Aleksandr Solovyev
RUDN Journal of Political Science
Gender Politics and Representation
article

Elite Dynamics and Political Gamesmanship: Exploring the Modern Stage of Elitogenesis

Aleksandr Solovyev
article en

Abstract

According to the contemporary stage of elitist origin, elite rivalry is the primary driver of societal change. In this way, the most potent catalysts for significant inventions and politically motivated initiatives in contemporary governments are the political ploys and manipulations of elite groups. However, the ways in which the ruling circles actually carry out their duties are more closely linked to coalitional forms of political dominance that emerge at the nexus of the interests of different elite groups, a confluence of their status and unofficial connections. However, their managerial competencies have not grown as much as the population as a whole, which sets the stage for decision-making and resource allocation to become more opaque. Clarifying the true effects of these changes on the dynamics of the ruling class as well as the interactions between the state and society presents a study challenge in this setting. The use of network approaches and structural and functional research methods enables us to state that, even today, the coalition “games” in the ruling class signal the structural self-renewal of the ruling circles, bringing more autonomous (post) elite communities that control key resource allocation mechanisms while simultaneously losing their responsibility to society. This is in addition to the adjustment of political projects or ideological and political compromises in updating government strategies. In addition to enhancing the latent character of public policy development and the distance between them, their informal means of influencing public policy aim to deepen the internal differences within the ruling circles.

RUDN Journal of Political ScienceVol. 27(2)
Lomonosov Moscow State University (RU), Moscow State University (TJ)
Openalex Percentile: Top 63%
Gender Politics and Representation
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.