Proceedings of the 2009 session of Congress AFS - Meeting of April 15 -
This first meeting has been primarily an opportunity to introduce the new GT and facilitate exchanges between participants. To do this, these two sessions will focus on methodological issues raised by the creation of databases prosopographical.
SESSION 1 / 14 h 30 to 16 h 30
- 14h30 - 15h00: Introduction (Sylvain Laurens and Frédéric Lebaron)
- 3:00 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. : Round table of those present, review proposals for participation in GT
- 3:40 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. : Presentation of the Swiss database on political and economic elites conducted by a team from the University of Lausanne (Thomas David, André Mach, Frederick Rebbman Andre Pilotti, Stephanie Ginalski)
- 4:10 p.m. - 16.30 : Group Discussion of the work presented
SESSION 2 / 17 h 00-19 h 00:
- 17h00-17h30: Presentation of the architecture of the database "Trustees" (Fx Dudouet)
- 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.: Claire Lemercier Presentation: "Building a database prosopographic not forget the time or the links"
- 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.: Group Discussion of the work presented & future prospects (proposal conferences, seminars ...)
To begin, Sylvain Laurens recalled the origin of the group rather than adding a new object to an already long list in the AFS, it is primarily for us to make the "sociology of elites" space cross at the intersection of empirical research in sociology of education, sociology, politics, class, family, or in economic sociology. These areas can indeed learn from each other in the study of an object such as Crossroads "ruling classes", the "ruling classes". The need for such a network was also highlighted: the group can develop methods Commons, to establish databases of large mobilizing community resources, develop common approaches for analysis, etc.. Frédéric Lebaron extended this point by citing the importance of a collective reflection on the steps of collecting and also data processing, including statistical, biographical information or outcome questionnaires. It is also moving to another level by taking seriously the possibility of financing ambitious programs.
The 33 participants in attendance emphasized the dual dimension and presented their individual and group research underway that could discussed under the system where they are particularly well for them. Multidisciplinarity (with the relations between sociology, political science and history) has been particularly emphasized by several colleagues.
Prosopography was the focus of this first meeting, with three presentations of databases that have proven very convergent; they allowed to insist on the need to take very seriously the construction process, whether individual or collective, biographical databases, without fetishizing which is a Finding among others, but particularly suitable for collaborative research relationship and close interaction with the material quality. Several topics for future study days have been mentioned: the meeting places, the treatment of biographical data. The session begins
itself by the intervention of Andrew and Stephanie Mach Ginalski University of Lausanne. These show the structure of their database on the Swiss elites including the composition of their sample. The sample consists of elite Swiss three areas: Economic, Political and Administrative. It covers five dates: 1910, 1937, 1957, 1980, 2000. The elite status of persons in this sample is defined by the position in these three spheres. The data allow, firstly, to understand the elite through a relational analysis (network analysis) to highlight the interrelationships between these elites, and, secondly, to conduct an analysis prosopographic of these elites. The sample consists of two types of elites (Pro Prosopography) and (Resolution for Network). Pro status (ie prosopography) returns to the position / office held in
three spheres and give rise prosopographic an analysis and an analysis of network status Res (ie network) refers to "secondary elites" and does not lead to an analysis prosopographic later, but only to a network analysis.
The database was developed on the software Filemaker Pro 8.5. It consists of several "parallel tables" and linked together (the information fed into the main form also appear in other forms, cf. Diagram below): 1) main form, 2) Mandates Sheets (for all terms political, economic, administrative and social spaces occupied by the person at the time) 3) Identity Cards: a large number of people being present on several dates, was thus created an identity for each table, which summarizes the biographical information static. To avoid entering information twice, this table can be grasped once the main form. The database is structured as follows: Each main form is then structured into 4 pages: 1) Biographical information (date of birth to training, ...) 2) Network (positions held on the date) 3) Course (professional and political career of the individual); 4) Library (synthesis of sources used). The type of information contained in the records based on other database, including the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (www.dhs.ch) and the Swiss Diplomatic Documents (www.dodis.ch) (for details on headings, see Convention of seizure).
The sample thus consists of about 12,800 sheets main. However, many individuals are present on two or even three times, indicative of the longevity of some:
Individuals on 3 dates: 16 (= 48 main sheets)
Individuals on 2 dates: 935 (main = 1870 sheets)
Individuals on a date: 10'853
Total individuals in the database: 16 + 935 + 10'853 = 11'804
The base includes first elites in the economic sphere. Were considered part of the economic elite on the one hand the steering committee of seven major trade associations leading Swiss in the 20th century, and the other leaders (President of the Board, CEO and Director -delegate) of the 110 largest Swiss companies. With regard to the umbrella organizations, were selected the steering committee members, directors and / or secretary, directors and / or general secretaries and permanent secretaries of key major umbrella associations in Switzerland: Swiss Bankers Association (SBA), the Union of Swiss Employers (UPS, Former Central Union of Swiss Employers 'Associations, UCAP), the Swiss Union of Arts and Crafts (SGV), the Swiss Union of Trade and Industry (USCI), the Swiss Farmers' Union (USP), the Union Syndicale Suisse (USS) and the Swiss Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (CSCS). These functions give individuals the Pro status. The criteria used to determine the 110 largest companies were as follows: capital stock, market capitalization, turnover, balance sheet and number of employees (the criteria vary depending on dates). The company law leaves considerable leeway for companies to organize their governing body as they wish. So it's not always possible to clearly identify where there is both a managing director and general manager who is primarily responsible for operational management of the company. When the sources mentioned for the same Business in both a managing director and CEO, priority was given to the Managing Director. In the case of small businesses, it is often only one person at the head of management. Regarding the larger firms, it may instead be several director-delegates. It is difficult to determine which is most important, and when it was impossible to determine, all were kept. So that for some companies, there are sometimes three or four leaders. Overall, however, were selected average two people per business (the chairman of the board of directors and the senior member of the operational management). Some individuals are presidents of several CdA.
were selected, Chairman and Managing Director or the Director General to analyze the separation of functions between the strategic direction of the company (within the CdA) and operational direction in the 20th century. Sometimes, especially for 1910 and 1937 and especially for private banks, the legal form of companies is not that of the company: it can include the company partnership, partnership or cooperative. In these cases, have been adopted for convenience categories President, Managing Administrative users, general manager or member of CdA, even if they do not correspond exactly to these categories of companies.
For the economic elite were added to the elite of the political sphere. The sample for the political sphere is composed of members of the Federal Council, Swiss parliamentarians, state councilors of the four largest cantons (VD, BE, ZH and TI) and members of the committee director of the government parties. For administrative elites were selected on the one hand the elite Pro (federal officials) and "Res elites' for federal-parliamentary commission members, particularly numerous in Switzerland.
All participants welcomed the comprehensiveness of this work and ask a series of issues including the financing received by the project and the processing logic of such a mass of information. All data is updated via a server by several researchers and students. The project includes several variations and feeds several subjects including thesis. Persons wishing more information can visit the project website .
After the break, Francois-Xavier Dudouet presented the database of patterns of large European companies. 'The data collected over the 2002-2007 period can already get an idea of the relative positions of each other within the space formed by the leaders of the CAC 40 companies, but also four other countries in the area Euro (Germany, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands). "
sociological and economic variables appear to ignore in the analysis of large enterprises. However, these two dimensions, if they are thinking together can illuminate each other. For example, social ties between boards may find correlations objective in the financial links between companies and vice versa investment strategies can light up by social ties. Therefore, the project is conducted jointly with an economic analyst who monitors these large economic and financial relations between them. Entry institutional permits, moreover, to make a first representation of the relationships leaders have with other areas such as the world media, academic, political or administrative. These relationships, which could, in principle, be described as exogenous are constitutive of the social space within which actors studied, as shown by the trajectory of some ENA (Cabinet, public enterprise, privatized company). These observations invite us to extend the field of power and in particular to question the recent reconstructions and an eventual transfer of authority from political and administrative world to the business world.
This study is related Observatory with politico-economic structures of capitalism (OpesC), an association law 1901. A portion of the first empirical results is available on the website OpesC
The session ended with the intervention of Claire Lemercier who returns to the methodological issues related to the creation of databases prosopographical.
Among the sites mentioned refer to resources www.quanti.ihmc.ens.fr
The next meeting will be convened by September to advance in the structuring of the network.
