Elites in times of epochal change: Empirical evidence and theoretical insights in an intertemporal perspective

The proposed paper investigates the consequences of the recent breakup of the post-communist world order like de-globalisation, the worldwide emergence of national populism and – most notably – the Russian war against Ukraine for an understanding of the mechanisms an considerations underlying and guiding the actions of political elites. It confirms previous findings that modernisation theories are inadequate to conceptualize elite change and supports the suggestion to apply an actor centered challenge and response approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics and courses of the elite change since the19th century, including the most recent developments