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The paper aims to develop a theoretical framework that integrates civil society elites approaches in a moral economy framework. There is a growing body of literature on civil society elites (Altermark et al. 2022; Arvidson and Hadjievska 2021; Ivanovska Hadjievska 2022; Johansson and Uhlin 2020; Lindellee and Scaramuzzino 2020; Scaramuzzino 2020; Sevelsted 2022; Sevelsted and Lunding forthcoming; Uhlin and Arvidson 2022). The literature is primarily concerned with analysing leaders of influential CSOs and their career trajectories, composition, integration with the wider elite, and their challengers. The paper argues that we need to consider civil society elites also in terms of their normative functions. It is well-established that social movements and CSOs influence norms through the public sphere, policy processes, and the legal system (Classically, Cohen and Arato 1992; Habermas 1998). As CSOs tend to build their own hierarchies (Michels 1968), it follows that civil society elites have disproportionate power to shape public opinion and public policies vis-à-vis ordinary members and adherents.
In order to theorize the role of civil society elites in shaping societal norms ad laws, I introduce the concept of moral economy. The term is associated with the names of R. H. Tawney, Karl Polanyi, E.P. Thompson, and James Scott (Polanyi 2001; Scott 2000; Tawney 1972; Thompson 1971), but a classical scholar such as Max Weber could also be considered part of the moral economy tradition (Weber 1988). While the concept is contested, and these scholars have many differences, the common thread is the idea that economic relations are not guided merely by economic interests but also by ideas such as ‘just price’ (Thompson) or religious world views (Weber, Tawney).
Elite scholars have previously shown the role of civil society actors such as labour unions in shaping elite settlements on key societal issues through elite compromises (Engelstad 2018). Similar thoughts are expressed in the idea of social ‘constitutions’ that settle the relationship between different societal spheres such as the economy and politics (Giddens 1986; Joas 1996; Latour 1993) Expanding on these ideas, the paper develops a theoretical framework to show the role of CSO leaders in shaping historical compromises that effect the moral economies of modern states.
The paper concludes that an integration of civil society elite theory with the moral economy tradition provides a fruitful way of understanding the role of civil society leaders in shaping the normative fabric of modern society. The approach should be of relevance to any scholar interested in the normative impact of civil society on central societal issues.
The paper first reviews the literature on civil society elites and moral economy. It then develops a theoretical framework for understanding the historical role of civil society elites in shaping national moral economies through national comprises and elite settlements. Finally, the fruitfulness of the theoretical framework is illustrated through the cases of the historical development of social and economic policies in Denmark.
Anders Sevelsted, Assistant Professor, Copenhagen Business School, Porcelaenshaven 18b, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark. Ase.bhl@cbs.dk
Altermark, N., Hadjievska, M. I., & Johansson, H. (2022). Personalisation at the top of civil societies? Legitimation claims on civil society elites in Europe. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 136914812211293. https://doi.org/10.1177/13691481221129390
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