A European civil society elite? Analysing capital and drama at the European Economic and Social Committee

• Published in: European societies Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 87 - 106
• Main Authors: Uhlin, Anders, Arvidson, Malin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 01.01.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Actors; Bourdieu; Bourdieu, Pierre (1930-2002); Civil society; civil society elite; Committees; Cultural capital; Decision makers; Drama; EESC; Elites; Goffman; Samhällsvetenskap; Scripts; Social capital; Social networks; Social Sciences; Sociologi; Sociologi (exklusive socialt arbete, socialpsykologi och socialantropologi); Sociology; Sociology (excluding Social Work, Social Anthropology, Demography and Criminology); Sociology (excluding Social Work, Social Psychology and Social Anthropology)
• ISSN: 1461-6696; 1469-8307; 1469-8307
• DOI: 10.1080/14616696.2022.2076893

Contributing to research on civil society elites in the EU context, this article focuses on the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). It explores who the main actors are, what roles they play, and what resources they use, value, and compete for in this arena. The theoretical starting points are grounded in Bourdieu's notions of field and capital and a Goffmanesque approach to drama. Based on semi-structured interviews with EESC members and administrators, observations at EESC meetings, and document analysis, the study explores the types of capital linked to different actors and roles, stages, and scripts in the EESC field. The most valued capital across EESC stages are social capital in the form of personal networks, and cultural capital in the form of negotiation skills and issue-specific knowledge. Actors are supposed to follow a script of being pro-European, representing organised civil society in Europe, and aiming at consensus. Being active at the EESC stages, at least in leading roles, gives actors a kind of EESC-specific capital in the form of access to influential EU decision-makers.