The Role of Elites in Democratization

The role of elites and their policies in the process of regime transformation are not as simple as “rule by the people” implies, once it is recognized that all “real-existing democracies” depend crucially on the role of representatives who act as intermediaries between the citizens and their rulers. Instead of rule by a few vs. rule by all, we have “rule by some politicians” as the outcome. These newly empowered representatives inevitably form an elite institutionally separate from the electorate that has chosen them competitively or the selectorate that has chosen them for their reputation.