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The Social Networks of the Public Elite

The Social Networks of the Public Elite. Dave Griffiths University of Stirling. What are quangos?. Quangos are ‘non-departmental public bodies’, ‘extra-governmental organisations’ or ‘quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations’.

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The Social Networks of the Public Elite

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  1. The Social Networks of the Public Elite Dave Griffiths University of Stirling

  2. What are quangos? • Quangos are ‘non-departmental public bodies’, ‘extra-governmental organisations’ or ‘quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations’. • They provide a political role in government provision outside the normal political system, elected officialdom and civil service. • Institutions include the Economic and Social Research Council, BBC, Health & Safety Commission, British Library, Royal Mail, British Potato Council, Gangmasters Licensing Authority etc. • Their directors (or quangocrats) are appointed by existing board members or higher quangos. Ministers effectively only veto undesirable individuals and appoint chairs to largest bodies.

  3. “King and Queen of the Commission Carousel” “Among them are quango 'kings and queens' who jump from state job to state job with the help of Government patronage.” “Quango board members regularly sit on more than one publicly-funded body” Steve Doughty, Quango ‘kings and queens’ earning up to £5,000 a day for part-time work, Daily Mail, 21 December 2009http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1237402/The-great-quangocracy-Elite-making-5-000-day-public-bodies.html

  4. What is known about quangocrats? • “Not as much as we think” (Bouckaert and Peters 2003) • Popular perception is they all sit on multiple boards, are white, middle-aged, middle-class men and have strong ties to business and the political classes • Demographic research from surveying smaller quangos typically used to produce these findings • No comprehensive analysis of the largest UK quangos nor attempts to apply more sophisticated techniques to identifying who governs public bodies • Changes in legislation in 2005 opened up access to studying UK quangocrats comprehensively

  5. Data • All Executive Quangos and Public Corporations as at 1st January 2007 • Details of 2,858 quangocrats sitting on 187 boards • All publicly available information gathered on them – from registers of members interests, web profiles, annual reports, press releases announcing appointments, conflict of interest declarations and appearances in key biographical directories • Details listed of all known employers, boards governed (public, private, voluntary), schools and universities attended, receipt of awards, memberships of clubs and professional bodies, etc. • Over 40,000 individual pieces of information gathered

  6. Examples of quangos National Cultural bodies: Arts Council; BBC; British Library; British Museum; Tate; UK Sport; Regional specific: North West Development Agency; Culture North West; National Museums Liverpool, Stonebridge Housing Association Trust; Sector specific: Architects Registration Board; British Potato Council; Engineering Construction Industry Training Board; Hearing Aid Council; Ofcom; Seafish Service provision: Bank of England; British Transport Police Authority; Economic and Social Research Council; Firebuy; Standards Board for England

  7. Breakdown of individual’s interests

  8. DfES (pink) DWP (blue)DTI (purple) DCMS (red) DCLG (green)

  9. Classic interlocking directorate diagram P1 P3 P4 p5 P2 People C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 Companies

  10. Multi-interlocking directorates M1 M2 M3 M4 Museums P1 P3 P4 p5 P2 People C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 Companies

  11. Diagram of a totally connected network

  12. More manageable networks Affiliation to professional bodies Charities School attended Companies

  13. Types of network studied

  14. Types of network studied

  15. Closeness–degree centralities correlations

  16. Core- Composition comparison

  17. Most networked quangos

  18. Most networked quangos

  19. Least networked quangos

  20. Cultural capital of quangocrats • Cultural capital is the glue which bonds together the public elite • Through the Bourdieuan concepts of social advantage, schooling and attendance of the same public sphere • Through Ostower’s concepts of cultural institutions increasing individual’s governance profile • Bonding between social elite and variety of public boards offering opportunity for beneficial advantage

  21. Corporate-related quangos

  22. ‘Regulators’ quangos • Very difficult to find ties not connected to industry • Architects Registration Board’s directors only held ties to the industry • Only unconnected tie for Gangmasters Licensing Authority was to a small tennis club • Strongly bonded within their sector, not requiring outside interference

  23. Ofcom’s ‘connected’ directors • Millie Banjeree: board member for Postwatch and Commission for Judicial Appointments; trustee of Carnegie UK Trust; board member of Tanaka Business School at Imperial College; previously sat on the boards of Channel 4, Prisons Board, Sector Skills Development Agency and Strategic Rail Authority; formerly CEO of ICO Global Communications and a director at British Telecom. • Sara Nathan: board member of Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Appeal, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, ICSTIS, Judicial Appointments Committee and Marshall Scholarships; advises Animal Procedures Committee and Financial Services Authority; formerly Children First’s Commissioner for Lambeth, and board member of Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeal Tribunal and Gambling Review Body; board member of the Jewish Museum; former producer of The Commission for BBC Radio 4, editor of Channel 4 News and programme editor for BBC Radio 5 Live.

  24. Quangos linked by common localised connections

  25. Individuals by percentage

  26. Organisations by quartile

  27. Network joined by London external bodies

  28. Conclusions • Quangos are highly interconnected with strong bonds, across many areas, between quangocrats • Political and corporate interests provide no influence • Cultural capital important for gaining access to central quangos • Many quangos are ‘self-marginalised’ from informal networks of governance • Networks are heavily London-centric with other areas (self?-)marginalised

  29. Positioning of academics

  30. Impartial positioning of academics

  31. Academic’s charities network Academic quangocrats only All quangocrats

  32. Conclusions • Quangos are highly interconnected with strong bonds, across many areas, between quangocrats • Political and corporate interests provide no influence • Cultural capital important for gaining access to central quangos • Many quangos are ‘self-marginalised’ from informal networks of governance • Networks are heavily London-centric with other areas (self?-)marginalised

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