Politics UK

Eleventh Edition

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Chapter 7

Social Mobility and Elites in the United Kingdom

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!

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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?

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.

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Timeline

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