The Power Elite in the Welfare State 2012–2017: Stability and Change in the Key Institutional Orders of the Core of Power Networks in Denmark.

The article focuses on identifying and analyzing the stability and composition of the power elite in Denmark using a methodological framework based on C. Wright Mills' concept of power elites. By examining comprehensive network data from 2012 and 2017, the study identifies a cohesive core group of around 400 individuals who occupy central positions across key institutional sectors—primarily business, unions, politics, state administration, and academia—while sectors such as culture, military, clergy, and judiciary are largely excluded. Despite a 55% turnover in individual members over five years, the core exhibits remarkable institutional and organizational stability, with most members holding top leadership roles and sharing similar social backgrounds, education, and residential patterns. The findings challenge the notion of Denmark as a pluralist society without strong elite formations, revealing a socially closed, well-integrated elite network that shapes national decision-making within the context of a coordinated market economy and welfare state.