dave griffiths university of stirling the social networks of the public elite
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DAVE GRIFFITHSUNIVERSITY OF STIRLING
The Social Networks of the Public Elite
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.
“King and Queen of the Commission Carousel”
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
“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”
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
Data
All Executive Quangos and Public Corporations as at 1st January 2007
Details of 2,858 quangocrats sitting on 187 boardsAll 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
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
Breakdown of individual’s interests
Male 70%
Average age 57
Biographical directories 30%
Royal honours 17%
Honorary degrees 10%
University attended known 35%
Of which attended Oxbridge or UoL
43%
School attended known 24%
Public school attended known 17%
Governing other public bodies 21%
Corporate directors 17%
Declared political affiliation 6%
Private member clubs 11%
Professional Body membership 33%
Voluntary organisation trustees 26%
DfES (pink)DWP (blue)DTI (purple)
DCLG (green)
DCMS (red)
Classic interlocking directorate diagram
P1 P2 P3 P4 p5
C1 C3 C4 C5C2
Companies
People
Multi-interlocking directorates
P1 P2 P3 P4 p5
C1 C3 C4 C5C2
Companies
People
M1 M2 M3 M4
Museums
Diagram of a totally connected network
More manageable networks
Affiliation to professional bodies
Companies
Charities
School attended
Types of network studied
Boards Component K-core Degree Closeness Diameter
Affiliations to professional bodies 176 176 126 (127) .26943 .32130 3
Boards 187 98 3 (6) .03516 .13335 17
Charities 165 130 9 (10) .12023 .22598 7
Charity - previous 120 67 9 (10) .12505 .30962 8
Clubs 133 124 40 (41) .43673 .43540 7
Corporate Advisor 94 21 3 (7) .05633 .34270 6
Current Educational Links 160 148 17 (35) .36088 .36892 5
Directorships 159 52 4 (5) .03729 .12443 18
Editorial 62 5 3 (4) .05355 .60000 2
Educational 147 111 7 (8) .14436 .27324 6
Educational - Previous 104 52 6 (7) .07862 .31774 8
Employment 160 134 19 (20) .22570 .29808 8
Honorary Degree 119 116 22 (38) .53571 .51388 4
Membership 88 45 16 (17) .22106 .35480 5
Other quangos 156 131 9 (10) .10105 .24863 7
Previous NED 111 27 3 (8) .04487 .21638 9
Professional 169 137 20 (21) .22045 .30765 7
Professional - Previous 146 114 27 (28) .24195 .32511 6
Quango Advisor 170 148 19 (20) .21753 .25898 6
Quango Advisor - previous 156 122 11 (22) .18752 .29341 7
Quango - Previous 158 132 11 (39) .20072 .26708 5
School 166 133 14 (15) .14605 .25675 7
Social organisations 171 129 11 (12) .12162 .25161 7
Social organisations – previous 148 68 11 (12) .11350 .28496 9
University 169 169 56 (112) .40722 .44301 4
University – grouped colleges 169 169 105 (125) .23884 .31993 3
Visiting Professor 87 64 8 (9) .23488 .34140 7
Types of network studied
Boards Component K-core Degree Closeness Diameter
Affiliations to professional bodies 176 176 126 (127) .26943 .32130 3
Boards 187 98 3 (6) .03516 .13335 17
Charities 165 130 9 (10) .12023 .22598 7
Charity - previous 120 67 9 (10) .12505 .30962 8
Clubs 133 124 40 (41) .43673 .43540 7
Corporate Advisor 94 21 3 (7) .05633 .34270 6
Current Educational Links 160 148 17 (35) .36088 .36892 5
Directorships 159 52 4 (5) .03729 .12443 18
Editorial 62 5 3 (4) .05355 .60000 2
Educational 147 111 7 (8) .14436 .27324 6
Educational - Previous 104 52 6 (7) .07862 .31774 8
Employment 160 134 19 (20) .22570 .29808 8
Honorary Degree 119 116 22 (38) .53571 .51388 4
Membership 88 45 16 (17) .22106 .35480 5
Other quangos 156 131 9 (10) .10105 .24863 7
Previous NED 111 27 3 (8) .04487 .21638 9
Professional 169 137 20 (21) .22045 .30765 7
Professional - Previous 146 114 27 (28) .24195 .32511 6
Quango Advisor 170 148 19 (20) .21753 .25898 6
Quango Advisor - previous 156 122 11 (22) .18752 .29341 7
Quango - Previous 158 132 11 (39) .20072 .26708 5
School 166 133 14 (15) .14605 .25675 7
Social organisations 171 129 11 (12) .12162 .25161 7
Social organisations – previous 148 68 11 (12) .11350 .28496 9
University 169 169 56 (112) .40722 .44301 4
University – grouped colleges 169 169 105 (125) .23884 .31993 3
Visiting Professor 87 64 8 (9) .23488 .34140 7
Closeness–degree centralities correlations
200150100500
Degree
1.0000000
0.9000000
0.8000000
0.7000000
0.6000000
0.5000000
0.4000000
Closeness
140120100806040200
Degree
0.9000000
0.8000000
0.7000000
0.6000000
0.5000000
0.4000000
0.3000000
Closness
100806040200
Degree
0.7000000
0.6000000
0.5000000
0.4000000
0.3000000
0.2000000
0.1000000
0.0000000
Closeness
6050403020100
Degree
0.4000000
0.2000000
0.0000000
Closeness
86420
Degree
0.1200000
0.1000000
0.0800000
0.0600000
0.0400000
0.0200000
0.0000000
Closeness
76543210
Degree
0.07
0.06
0.05
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0
Closeness
Core- Composition comparison
05
1015
Co
res
0 5 10 15 20Components
Most networked quangos
Most components
Most cores
Bank of England; British Museum; English Heritage; Higher Education Funding Council for England; Learning and Skills Council; North West Development Agency; National Portrait Gallery; Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; Tate
Arts & Humanities Research Council; National Museum of Science and Industry; Victoria and Albert Museum
BBC; Channel 4; Economic and Social Research Council; Historic Royal Palaces; Medical Research Council; National Gallery; Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Most networked quangos
Most components
Most cores
Bank of England; British Museum; English Heritage; Higher Education Funding Council for England; Learning and Skills Council; North West Development Agency; National Portrait Gallery; Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; Tate
Arts & Humanities Research Council; National Museum of Science and Industry; Victoria and Albert Museum
BBC; Channel 4; Economic and Social Research Council; Historic Royal Palaces; Medical Research Council; National Gallery; Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Least networked quangos
Fewest components
No cores
British Shipbuilders; Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority; Engineering Construction Industry Training Boards; Firebuy; Home Grown Cereals Authority; Horticultural Development Council; Independent Living Funds; Oil and Pipelines Agency; Stonebridge Housing Association Trust; Trinity House; Valuation Tribunal Service
Culture South West; LEASE; Royal Navy Submarine Museum
Football Licensing Authority
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
Corporate-related quangos
Regulators Ombudsmen
Architects Registration Board Consumer Council for Water
British Hallmarking Council EnergyWatch
Civil Aviation Authority National Consumer Council
Gambling Commission Ofcom
Gangmasters Licensing Authority
Passenger Focus
Horseracing Betting Levy Board
Pension Protection Fund
Postwatch
‘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
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.
Quangos linked by common localised connections
AboveAboveaveragaveragee
BelowBelowaveragaveragee
NoNotiesties
NoNo..
AllAll 64%64% 27%27% 8%8% 434322
EastEast 81%81% 15%15% 4%4% 2525
LondonLondon 80%80% 17%17% 3%3% 141411
West MidlandsWest Midlands 73%73% 21%21% 6%6% 3131
Northern Northern IrelandIreland
71%71% 14%14% 1414%%
77
South EastSouth East 69%69% 25%25% 6%6% 7272
South WestSouth West 52%52% 36%36% 1111%%
3939
North WestNorth West 50%50% 44%44% 6%6% 1616
WalesWales 50%50% 39%39% 1111%%
1717
East MidlandsEast Midlands 48%48% 38%38% 1414%%
2121
YorkshireYorkshire 48%48% 29%29% 2424%%
1919
ScotlandScotland 36%36% 45%45% 1919%%
4646
North EastNorth East 25%25% 75%75% 0%0% 88
Individuals by percentage
Top Top quartilquartil
ee
SeconSecondd
quartilquartilee
Third Third quartilquartil
ee
BottoBottomm
quartilquartilee
LondonLondon 44%44% 22%22% 22%22% 12%12%
South EastSouth East 26%26% 18%18% 30%30% 26%26%
North WestNorth West 26%26% 13%13% 43%43% 17%17%
South WestSouth West 23%23% 30%30% 14%14% 34%34%
EastEast 22%22% 52%52% 19%19% 7%7%
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland 22%22% 22%22% 33%33% 22%22%
WalesWales 14%14% 29%29% 24%24% 33%33%
West MidlandsWest Midlands 11%11% 39%39% 21%21% 29%29%
YorkshireYorkshire 8%8% 16%16% 28%28% 48%48%
ScotlandScotland 6%6% 18%18% 12%12% 64%64%
East MidlandsEast Midlands 5%5% 27%27% 27%27% 41%41%
North EastNorth East 0%0% 30%30% 10%10% 60%60%
Organisations by quartile
Network joined by London external bodies
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
Positioning of academics
05
1015
Co
res
5 10 15 20Components
Academics
05
1015
Co
res
0 5 10 15 20Components
No academics
Impartial positioning of academics
02
46
810
Co
res
0 5 10 15Components
Academics
02
46
810
Co
res
0 5 10 15Components
Non-academics
Academic’s charities network
Academic quangocrats only All quangocrats
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