Corporate Elite Essay Research Paper Elitist theory

Corporate Elite Essay, Research Paper

Elitist theory holds that the majority of political power is held by a

relatively small and wealthy group of people, which share similar principles and

interests. Most members of this group are born into affluent families. The

majority of top leaders in the United States come from this privileged group.

The power elite utilizes a variety of resources to dictate public policy. These

individuals tend to hold top management positions within big corporations. These

corporations are used as a powerful tool to dominate the political arena.

Corporations are granted immense power, which they use, to protect their own

interests, as well as, shape the interests of ordinary citizens. .The

leadership role that business has in the economy gives executives of large

corporations an unusual kind and degree of influence over governmental policy

making.. (Lindblom 1993:p91) The economic control of corporations plays an

essential role in public policy. Depending on how they choose to play the game,

large corporations dictate to economic conditions. Politicians must accommodate

corporate interests to protect our sensitive economy. These accommodations can

be called .corporatism.. Big businesses receive a privileged position by

donating huge amounts of money and support to politicians and their political

parties. This monetary support buys access into the system. This access, known

as corporate welfare, can be achieved in the forms of favored rates on goods and

commodities, higher interest bond issues, tariff protections, emergency funding,

tax breaks and incentives, guaranteed investments, and weak safety standards.

The rewards are endless, and they must be worth something because corporations

spend a tremendous amount of money to obtain them. Corporations have existed as

early as the eighteenth century. The framework of the constitution protects

corporations through its. interpretation of property rights. Our constitution

was founded on a principle that the rights of people with property have to be

privileged. It is true that the framework defended the rights of people, but

rights were distributed, even more so, to people who owned property. The framers

of the constitution were hardly democratic. They represented their own,

personal, privileged, economic interests. Our founding fathers had a direct

interest to establish a government that would protect their holdings and

investments. The guiding light of the constitution, that still exists today, is

class. interest. Privileged powers are protected by, and set a side for, the

power elite. In the United States, affluence and power is attained by wealth and

social status. Unavoidably, this power is passed onto the common citizen. .The

power elite is composed of men whose positions enable them to transcend the

ordinary environments of ordinary men and women; they are in positions to make

decisions having major consequences. Whether they do or do not make such

decisions is less important than the fact that they do occupy such pivotal

positions; their failure to act, their failure to make decisions, is itself an

act that is often of greater consequence than the decisions they do make.

(Mills, 1956: p.73) Corporations exercise their power to protect their own

interests. In doing so, they effect the economical, social, and political

make-up of society. This power is unique, and is reserved for only a few. The

United States is admired for its. ideals of equality and opportunity. One can

view our system as .a multitude of groups and associations that organize

openly and freely, to compete with each other for the advancement of such

purposes as their members may wish..(Miliband, 1969:p58) Yet, in reality, the

United States is a far cry from being democratic. The problem is that groups do

not compete on a level playing field. Large corporations enjoy a massive

superiority compared to smaller businesses, small interest groups, grassroots

organizations, and individual voters. It is the tightly woven relationship

between big business and government that prevents true democracy. Economic

influence is a magic wand used by large corporations to get their wishes

granted. According to Ralph Miliband,. businesses control the key areas of

economic life which makes it extremely difficult for governments to impose upon

it policies to which it is firmly opposed.. (1969:p59) In other words,

corporations dictate policy whether government likes it or not. Business

decisions have a yielding effect on the state of the economy. Choosing to

disinvest, downsize, relocate, or, decrease production, often has a negative

impact on the economy. According to Lindblom, a poor economy will negatively

affect voters more than anything else, and therefore, politicians must be quick

to respond to it. Politicians must pay special attention to the busines

Внимание, отключите Adblock

Вы посетили наш сайт со включенным блокировщиком рекламы!
Ссылка для скачивания станет доступной сразу после отключения Adblock!

Скачать