Mapping the Power of Law Professors: The Role of Scientific and Social Capital

Article

Article de Felix Bühlmann, Pierre Benz,  André Mach et Thierry Rossier dans la revue Minerva.

Abstract

As a scientific discipline and profession, law has been for centuries at the heart of social and political power of many Western societies. Professors of law, as influential representatives of the profession, are important powerbrokers between academia, politics and the corporate world. Their influence is based on scientific reputation, institutional mandates inside and outside academia or privileged network connections with people in powerful positions. In this study, based on a full sample of all Swiss law professors in the years 1957, 1980 and 2000 (n = 311), we contrast two theories of the distribution of power among law professors: Bourdieu’s thesis on the trade-off between scientific reputation and (extra)-academic institutional power vs. the thesis of an opposition between a group of established incumbents and socio-demographically marginal challengers who try to gain access to the profession. We show that among Swiss law professors the endowment with scientific capital is not opposed to the possession of institutional power within (or outside) academia. Our findings reveal rather an opposition between a challenging group of professors devoid of resources and an incumbent fraction with a high amount of scientific, institutional and social capital alike. In the conclusion we discuss a series of explanations of this specific power structure, including the specific status scientific reputation and social capital can have for law professors.

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European top management careers: a field-analytical approach

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Article de Felix Bühlmann, Eric Davoine et Claudio Ravasi dans la revue European Societies.

Abstract

Research on European business elites has been dominated by a ‘national career model’ approach, arguing that each country has a specific top management career pattern. In recent years, this line of argument has been challenged due to the increasing international circulation of top managers. To examine the impact of internationalisation on career models, we will draw on a database of 916 top managers in Germany, Switzerland, France and Britain. Our field-analytical analysis reveals that the most important career distinction – between internal and external careers – is valid beyond national models. In addition, international managers do not constitute a separate homogenous group: in some countries, they imitate national career patterns; in others, they pursue complementary strategies.

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The Rise of Professors of Economics and Business Studies in Switzerland: Between Scientific Reputation and Political Power

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Article de Thierry Rossier, Felix Bühlmann et André Mach dans  European Journal of Sociology (Archives Européennes de Sociologie).

Abstract

Cet article étudie l’affirmation des professeurs d’économie politique et de gestion d’entreprise durant la seconde moitié du xx e siècle en Suisse. Il se centre sur trois types de ressources de pouvoir : positions dans la hiérarchie universitaire, réputation scientifique et positions extra-académiques dans les sphères économique et politique. A partir de données biographiques au sujet de N = 487 professeurs, il examine comment ces ressources se sont développées entre 1957 et 2000. Nos résultats montrent que les professeurs de sciences économiques ont de plus en plus de succès dans les trois dimensions étudiées – spécialement si on les compare à d’autres disciplines comme le droit ou les sciences humaines et sociales. Cette évolution semble infirmer la soi-disant incompatibilité entre le pôle scientifique et le pôle mondain du champ académique : en effet les professeurs d’économie et de gestion augmentent leur réputation scientifique tout en occupant de plus en plus de positions exécutives au sein et en dehors de l’académie. Cependant, si l’on se penche sur la dotation individuelle en capital, nous voyons que ce sont rarement les mêmes professeurs qui détiennent de manière simultanée un volume important de capital scientifique et institutionnel.

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Les parlementaires suisses n’ont jamais été autant liés à des lobbys

Médias

Dans son édition du 14 mai 2017, le journal dominical Le Matin Dimanche réalise une enquête sur les liens d’intérêts des élus fédéraux tirée des données des recherches d’Andre Mach et Steven Eichenberger, membres de l’OBELIS qui ont par ailleurs débouché sur la publication de deux papiers scientifiques:  Interests groups in Parliament: Exploring MPs’ interest affiliations et Formal ties between interest groups and members of parliament: Gaining allies in legislative committees (accès payant).

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Formal ties between interest groups and members of parliament: Gaining allies in legislative committees

Article

Article de Steven Eichenberger et André Mach dans la revue Interest Groups & Advocacy.

Abstract

While previous research on interest groups’ (IGs) relations to MPs has mainly focused on informal lobbying strategies or interorganizational linkages, the analysis of formal ties between MPs and IGs has remained neglected. Such formal ties can be conceptualized as an exchange relationship between individual MPs and IGs. The latter benefit from access to parliament while the former benefit from the expertise and support provided by IGs. We investigate whether committee members’ formal ties to IGs reflect committees’ responsibilities. Our results show that there is a strong topical match between committee members’ ties to IGs and committees’ area of competence. However, this congruence is less due to the background of MPs than to the ties developed after committee assignment. Formal ties are, to a large extent, the consequence of IGs recruiting MPs who can give them access to relevant committees. Empirical evidence comes from Swiss MPs’ ties to IGs between 2000 and 2015.

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