ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book argues for a refocusing of research on specific elite groups whose action takes place at the very heart of the democratic state's policy-making apparatus. It demonstrates how introducing practices of democratic governance in certain sectors of state action has led to a substantial transformation of power through the formation of new types of elite coalitions. To show the full complexity of this process, the book presents a detailed analysis of professional trajectories and sectoral careers, and of the mobilization of ideas developed by specific elites with a view to the future of policies. It discusses three case studies of policy decision making where it is possible to observe empirically the formation of the types of elite configurations discussed.
