The fortunes of the wealthy are soaring across the globe. Economists have demonstrated that the lion's share of economic growth over the past decade benefits the richest people: the top 1% took 38% of all additional wealth accumulated since the mid-1990s, whereas the bottom 50% captured just 2%. But there is more to this phenomenon than money. The social composition of elites, their cultural profiles, and political importance are just as significant, but less widely understood. The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Global Elites addresses this gap by providing comprehensive portraits of who elites are and how they wield power.

The chapters offer perspectives from all leading regions of the world, notably Latin America and Africa, and countries ranging from India, China, the USA, to the UK. Contributors-many of whom are leading scholars in this field-explain how elites are increasingly exercising political influence, challenging liberal democracy, and undermining meritocratic beliefs. Elites cannot be seen as throwbacks to older aristocratic formations, such as 'Old Boys Networks'. This volume illustrates how contemporary elites vary across the globe, how they often fly 'under the radar', and how their wealth threatens to short-circuit democratic public life. Elites are now dynamic forces shaping social life in many areas, including racial, gendered, and classed dimensions. By unveiling elites, this Handbook helps readers understand myriad conflicts that abound in contemporary social life.