Cosmopolitan capital and the internationalization of the field of business elites: Evidence from the Swiss case

TitreCosmopolitan capital and the internationalization of the field of business elites: Evidence from the Swiss case
Type de publicationJournal Article
Year of Publication2013
AuteursBühlmann, F, David, T, Mach, A
JournalCultural Sociology
Volume7
Nombre2
Pagination211-229
Mots-clésBourdieu, cosmopolitan capital, élites, globalization, Switzerland
Résumé

The aim of this contribution is to explore how the recent internationalization and the increasing importance of ‘cosmopolitan capital’ has impacted on the structure and character of the field of the Swiss business elite. For this purpose we will develop the notion of cosmopolitan capital and comparatively investigate the field of the Swiss business elite in 1980, 2000 and 2010 with multiple correspondence analysis. We can show that in this period international managers with transnational careers and networks not only grow in number, but come to conquer the apex of the biggest and highest capitalized Swiss firms. At the same time, national forms of capital decline in importance and Swiss managers themselves are differentiated increasingly into national and international fractions.

DOI10.1177/1749975512473587
Refereed DesignationRefereed