ABSTRACT
America is run by elites. Through personal wealth, the giant corporations, foundations, universities, the media, and the government, the powers of elites in the United States far outstrip the powers of the electorate in making decisions and controlling resources. The primary question of elite membership concerns which segment of the demand system is represented by a member or members. The elite members of seventy-seven of the commissions represented three or more of the major subcategories. The corporate elite members outnumbered the other two sectors on twenty-nine commissions, government members predominated in thirteen, and public sector members were the most numerous in thirty-seven of the commissions. The elites have become more likely to represent corporate or government members. In order to achieve a national coalition in an important policy decision, a commission should be made up of representatives of the actual——or potential—opposing groups on any crucial issue.
