DAVE GRIFFITHS UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING The Social Networks of the Public Elite

What are quangos? Quangos are ‘non-departmental public bodies’, ‘extra- governmental organisations’ or ‘quasi-autonomous non- governmental organisations’. They provide a political role in government provision outside the normal political system, elected officialdom and civil service. Institutions include the Economic and Social Research Council, BBC, Health & Safety Commission, British Library, Royal Mail, British Potato Council, Gangmasters Licensing Authority etc. Their directors (or quangocrats) are appointed by existing board members or higher quangos. Ministers effectively only veto undesirable individuals and appoint chairs to largest bodies.

“ King and Queen of the Commission Carousel” Steve Doughty, Quango ‘kings and queens’ earning up to £5,000 a day for part-time work, Daily Mail, 21 December “Among them are quango 'kings and queens' who jump from state job to state job with the help of Government patronage.” “Quango board members regularly sit on more than one publicly-funded body”

What is known about quangocrats? “Not as much as we think” (Bouckaert and Peters 2003) Popular perception is they all sit on multiple boards, are white, middle-aged, middle-class men and have strong ties to business and the political classes Demographic research from surveying smaller quangos typically used to produce these findings No comprehensive analysis of the largest UK quangos nor attempts to apply more sophisticated techniques to identifying who governs public bodies Changes in legislation in 2005 opened up access to studying UK quangocrats comprehensively

Data All Executive Quangos and Public Corporations as at 1 st January 2007 Details of 2,858 quangocrats sitting on 187 boards All publicly available information gathered on them – from registers of members interests, web profiles, annual reports, press releases announcing appointments, conflict of interest declarations and appearances in key biographical directories Details listed of all known employers, boards governed (public, private, voluntary), schools and universities attended, receipt of awards, memberships of clubs and professional bodies, etc. Over 40,000 individual pieces of information gathered

Examples of quangos National Cultural bodies: Arts Council; BBC; British Library; British Museum; Tate; UK Sport; Regional specific: North West Development Agency; Culture North West; National Museums Liverpool, Stonebridge Housing Association Trust; Sector specific: Architects Registration Board; British Potato Council; Engineering Construction Industry Training Board; Hearing Aid Council; Ofcom; Seafish Service provision: Bank of England; British Transport Police Authority; Economic and Social Research Council; Firebuy; Standards Board for England

Breakdown of individual’s interests Male70% Average age57 Biographical directories30% Royal honours17% Honorary degrees10% University attended known35% Of which attended Oxbridge or UoL43% School attended known24% Public school attended known17% Governing other public bodies21% Corporate directors17% Declared political affiliation6% Private member clubs11% Professional Body membership33% Voluntary organisation trustees26%

DfES (pink) DWP (blue) DTI (purple) DCLG (green) DCMS (red)

Classic interlocking directorate diagram P1 P2 P3P4p5 C1C3C4C5C2 Companies People

Multi-interlocking directorates P1 P2 P3P4p5 C1C3C4C5C2 Companies People M1M2 M3M4 Museums

Diagram of a totally connected network

More manageable networks Affiliation to professional bodies Companies Charities School attended

Types of network studied BoardsComponentK-coreDegreeClosenessDiameter Affiliations to professional bodies (127) Boards (6) Charities (10) Charity - previous (10) Clubs (41) Corporate Advisor94213 (7) Current Educational Links (35) Directorships (5) Editorial6253 (4) Educational (8) Educational - Previous (7) Employment (20) Honorary Degree (38) Membership (17) Other quangos (10) Previous NED (8) Professional (21) Professional - Previous (28) Quango Advisor (20) Quango Advisor - previous (22) Quango - Previous (39) School (15) Social organisations (12) Social organisations – previous (12) University (112) University – grouped colleges (125) Visiting Professor87648 (9)

Types of network studied BoardsComponentK-coreDegreeClosenessDiameter Affiliations to professional bodies (127) Boards (6) Charities (10) Charity - previous (10) Clubs (41) Corporate Advisor94213 (7) Current Educational Links (35) Directorships (5) Editorial6253 (4) Educational (8) Educational - Previous (7) Employment (20) Honorary Degree (38) Membership (17) Other quangos (10) Previous NED (8) Professional (21) Professional - Previous (28) Quango Advisor (20) Quango Advisor - previous (22) Quango - Previous (39) School (15) Social organisations (12) Social organisations – previous (12) University (112) University – grouped colleges (125) Visiting Professor87648 (9)

Closeness–degree centralities correlations

Core- Composition comparison

Most networked quangos Most components Most cores Bank of England; British Museum; English Heritage; Higher Education Funding Council for England; Learning and Skills Council; North West Development Agency; National Portrait Gallery; Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; Tate Arts & Humanities Research Council; National Museum of Science and Industry; Victoria and Albert Museum BBC; Channel 4; Economic and Social Research Council; Historic Royal Palaces; Medical Research Council; National Gallery; Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Most networked quangos Most components Most cores Bank of England; British Museum; English Heritage; Higher Education Funding Council for England; Learning and Skills Council; North West Development Agency; National Portrait Gallery; Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; Tate Arts & Humanities Research Council; National Museum of Science and Industry; Victoria and Albert Museum BBC; Channel 4; Economic and Social Research Council; Historic Royal Palaces; Medical Research Council; National Gallery; Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Least networked quangos Fewest components No cores British Shipbuilders; Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority; Engineering Construction Industry Training Boards; Firebuy; Home Grown Cereals Authority; Horticultural Development Council; Independent Living Funds; Oil and Pipelines Agency; Stonebridge Housing Association Trust; Trinity House; Valuation Tribunal Service Culture South West; LEASE; Royal Navy Submarine Museum Football Licensing Authority

Cultural capital of quangocrats Cultural capital is the glue which bonds together the public elite  Through the Bourdieuan concepts of social advantage, schooling and attendance of the same public sphere  Through Ostower’s concepts of cultural institutions increasing individual’s governance profile Bonding between social elite and variety of public boards offering opportunity for beneficial advantage

Corporate-related quangos RegulatorsOmbudsmen Architects Registration BoardConsumer Council for Water British Hallmarking CouncilEnergyWatch Civil Aviation AuthorityNational Consumer Council Gambling CommissionOfcom Gangmasters Licensing AuthorityPassenger Focus Horseracing Betting Levy BoardPension Protection Fund Postwatch

‘Regulators’ quangos Very difficult to find ties not connected to industry Architects Registration Board’s directors only held ties to the industry Only unconnected tie for Gangmasters Licensing Authority was to a small tennis club Strongly bonded within their sector, not requiring outside interference

Ofcom’s ‘connected’ directors Millie Banjeree: board member for Postwatch and Commission for Judicial Appointments; trustee of Carnegie UK Trust; board member of Tanaka Business School at Imperial College; previously sat on the boards of Channel 4, Prisons Board, Sector Skills Development Agency and Strategic Rail Authority; formerly CEO of ICO Global Communications and a director at British Telecom. Sara Nathan: board member of Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Appeal, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, ICSTIS, Judicial Appointments Committee and Marshall Scholarships; advises Animal Procedures Committee and Financial Services Authority; formerly Children First’s Commissioner for Lambeth, and board member of Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeal Tribunal and Gambling Review Body; board member of the Jewish Museum; former producer of The Commission for BBC Radio 4, editor of Channel 4 News and programme editor for BBC Radio 5 Live.

Quangos linked by common localised connections

Above average Below average No ties No. All64%27%8%432 East81%15%4%25 London80%17%3%141 West Midlands 73%21%6%31 Northern Ireland 71%14%14%7 South East 69%25%6%72 South West 52%36%11%39 North West 50%44%6%16 Wales50%39%11%17 East Midlands 48%38%14%21 Yorkshire48%29%24%19 Scotland36%45%19%46 North East 25%75%0%8 Individuals by percentage

Top quartile Second quartile Third quartile Bottom quartile London44%22%22%12% South East 26%18%30%26% North West 26%13%43%17% South West 23%30%14%34% East22%52%19%7% Northern Ireland 22%22%33%22% Wales14%29%24%33% West Midlands 11%39%21%29% Yorkshire8%16%28%48% Scotland6%18%12%64% East Midlands 5%27%27%41% North East 0%30%10%60% Organisations by quartile

Network joined by London external bodies

Conclusions Quangos are highly interconnected with strong bonds, across many areas, between quangocrats Political and corporate interests provide no influence Cultural capital important for gaining access to central quangos Many quangos are ‘self-marginalised’ from informal networks of governance Networks are heavily London-centric with other areas (self?-) marginalised

Positioning of academics

Impartial positioning of academics

Academic’s charities network Academic quangocrats onlyAll quangocrats

Conclusions Quangos are highly interconnected with strong bonds, across many areas, between quangocrats Political and corporate interests provide no influence Cultural capital important for gaining access to central quangos Many quangos are ‘self-marginalised’ from informal networks of governance Networks are heavily London-centric with other areas (self?-) marginalised