From civil elite to political elite. Reproduction of power in contexts of democratization

Abstract

This article analyzes the trajectories of people who were part of the chilean political elite between 1990 and 2010 and who came from civil society organizations. For that it uses data from a trajectory survey of 386 people who occupied top positions in the executive, parliament and political parties during the period. We analyze the origin, access channels and institutional placement of persons from civil society and, eventually, their way out of formal positions of political power. We hypothesize that the institutional constraints and the design of «reinforced democratic elitism» of the chilean transition meant that the wide segment of civil society that came to political power, previously belonged to privileged positions within it, mainly to the more educated segment. It also reinforced the importance and consolidation of a «techno-political elite», mainly in the executive branch.