Oligarchák, patrónusok, kliensek
Oligarchs, Patrons, Clients

Summary/Abstract: The study offers a comprehensive survey of the nuances of sociological interpretation of the concepts of oligarchism and clientelism. It first recounts Michels’s traditional early interpretation in political science and the sociology of organizations, and the relationship of oligarchism and the elite. Moving on, it turns to Winters’s definition of oligarchism and attempts to place and evaluate it in the context of elite theory. As a side note, Higley and other germane approaches adopted by the new elite theory are revisited here, and the author touches upon the newest research findings concerning the influence of economic elites on politics and political elites on the economy. Clientelism is mainly explored through studies published by Kitschel, Wilkinson and others, as well as recent research on patron–client relations. International findings suggest that oligarchism and patron–client relations exist in characteristic forms, which may be found in both autocratic and democratic systems. The study of their creation and survival, as well as of their intended and unintentional impact on society, remains an important task for social science research.

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