‘Quiet’ and ‘loud’ elites: the visibility of economic power in the UK

Abstract

Abstract To gain a better understanding of contemporary elite power, we examine the public, media, and online profiles of the 541 most economically powerful individuals in the UK. We demonstrate striking divergences in the extent of to which elites are consecrated and exposed to wider public interest. The most economically powerful Britons tend not to be consecrated by prestigious mechanisms (such as Who’s Who or through state honours) and are not subject to media scrutiny. However, although elites on the whole retreat from the public gaze and do not encourage a media profile, a few are subject to considerable online exposure. We show that a small number of ‘loud’ economic elites court publicity by cultivating a maverick and outsider image which puts them in opposition to the many more ‘quiet’ elites. We identify a ‘power pincer’ in which a small number of prominent, sometimes publicity seeking, elites stand in opposition to corporate and intermediary elites who are thus left to operate ‘under the radar’ in pursuing their strategic interests.