The social immobility of the European power elite. A comparative analysis.

In the current complex socio-economic and political situation, it is important to understand the future of the European Union, which cannot be separated from an analysis of its elites. This paper investigates the socio-demographic, educational and professional features of European power elite members (henceforth international top leaders) in the political, cultural and economic fields. Quantitative research was carried out examining the profiles of 9,000 Europeans contained in The International Who's Who 2021 (2020). A descriptive analysis of elite members and a categorical principal components analysis is provided. The study highlights that top European leaders are mainly male and quite old. In this regard, a sort of ‘longue durée’ of male dominance and gerontocracy can be observed, which suggests that for European elite members systematic generational and gender turnover seems to be very difficult. Second, educational pathways and professions are crucial variables. These factors are very important even though significant heterogeneity can be observed at the national level. Despite several national differences, nationality does not seem to weigh heavily in qualifying top leaders.