Remarks on the genesis and development of ‘shadow elites’ in a comparative context

Abstract

The article provides a comparative analysis of the anthropological
concept of the ‘shadow elites’, which has been introduced by a renowned
anthropologists, Janine R. Wedel in her book published in 2009. The ‘shadow
elites’ are informal, flexible networks that are formed on the intersection
of business, government, media and science. Moreover, the development
of shadow elites is characteristic of societies in relatively developed states
and cannot be described simply as corruption or clientelism. In her book
Wedel focuses on three examples: the Chubais clan in Russia, the Ordynacka
Association in Poland and the Richard Perle neoconservative network in
Washington. The author of this article accepts Wedel’s definition but argues
that we still lack a comprehensive theory concerning the genesis of those
elites. The author strives to propose such a theory and recommends further
research. The author’s concept examines the global processes that disturb
the balance between the three branches of powers in modern states. It is
the author’s contention that the contemporary global political environment
favors strong executives with little checks from other branches. The informal
networks circling around the modern executives are, in turn, what constitutes
the shadow elites. The process is observed world-wide, however, the
pathologies typically found in post-communist states facilitate it. The author
focuses especially on the cases related to the UE and Poland. The article
among other examples describes the connections of the former Polish primeminister
Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz and the networks of some the persons
involved in the 2014 Polish wiretapping scandal.