The rise of top incomes and wealth across many parts of the world, and the increasing role of economic elites in political affairs, are leading to a renewal of sociological studies of elites.

Currently, there are competing views on who elites actually are, how to study them, and what data sources to use. These problems are especially intense when seeking to study elites in comparative contexts.

This seminar will introduce early findings from the most-systematic research to date, which seeks to provide a comparative platform for the study of elites – the World Elite Database.

The event is part of the seminar series of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) at the University of Ghana. ISSER hosts ACEIR's Ghana research node.

About the presenter

Michael Savage is an esteemed British sociologist and academic specialising in social class. Since 2014 he has been the Martin White Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the post traditionally awarded to the most senior professor in the department. In addition to being Head of the Sociology Department between 2013 – 2016, he also held the position of Director of LSE's International Inequalities Institute between 2015 – 2020. Prof. Savage was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 2007, an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences.