ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the structure of an elite network in major American institutions as a way of assessing the extent of integration among political elites in the United States. The structure of national elite groups, and particularly the degree to which they are integrated, is a critical issue in political sociology and political science. Through personal interviews, information was gathered on respondents’ policy influencing and policy making activities on major national issues. In the case of the political party sector, the isolates are local leaders, who have few, if any, ties to national elite groups. In the United States a lengthy debate over the structure of power and influence at the national level has centered on the degree to which this structure is unified or diversified. Perhaps the most reasonable interpretation of the network analyzed here is to see it as one involving day-to-day discussions of major issues that have appeared within the public arena.
