Revisiting the inner circle arguments from a multilevel perspective on the corporate elites: The case of France

Résumé En

To identify members of the inner circle, scholars usually select the interlockers who have at least two or three directorships. Indeed, interlockers are shown to be the most likely to stand at the leading edge of business political activity in the US and the UK (Useem 1984). But there are other indirect signs associated with inner-circle identity. Useem indicates two of them. The first sign is to have taken an active part in programs designed to introduce business-oriented curricula into the schools. The second sign, related to the inner-circle core, is to have been consulted by seniormost government officials about candidates for appointment to the major advisory bodies or top administrative positions. Drawing on these observations, I focus on the trajectories of corporate leaders who become state experts. These actors are considered as boundary spanners who succeed in getting high status at several distinct levels. Their multilevel status enables them to appear as legitimate to participate in policy making. The analysis of various major advisory bodies in France is used to illustrate these arguments. This abstract is related to Corporate Networks.