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The rules of the game: business elite behaviour in limited access orders
Dissertation (Doctoral)--University of Pretoria, 2026.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613576209891328 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Wocke, Albert |
| author_browse | Wocke, Albert |
| author_facet | Wocke, Albert |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2025 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Dissertation (Doctoral)--University of Pretoria, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/110239 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:38:20.548Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/110239 The rules of the game: business elite behaviour in limited access orders Wocke, Albert ichelp@gibs.co.za Sisulu, Shaka UCTD Economic Elite Limited access orders Social Orders Theory Elite Theory Institutions Dissertation (Doctoral)--University of Pretoria, 2026. Academic interest in the impact that business (or economic) elites have on national institutions has risen alongside global inequality. The question is more compelling within emerging markets which vary significantly in their institutional complexity. On the one hand economic elites may choose to buttress autocrats, on the other they have precipitated democratisation in authoritarian states. What remains unclear, is the impact a country’s institutional context has on business elites choices. Using Social Order Theory’s limited access orders (LAO) construct, which differentiates states by how much access to political and economic institutions is restricted, this qualitative case study interviewed 40 business and 8 other elites across the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Kingdom of Eswatini, Côte d’Ivoire, and South Africa. Each country represents a different LAO typology, namely: Fragile, Basic Authoritarian, Basic Competitive-Clientelist, and Mature. The research reveals how institutional context does constrain business elite behaviours in LAOs. The structural power of economic elites, a determinant of their choices, is enhanced by consolidation mechanisms. Where elites had institutionalised means of developing consensus, their states were more ready for a transition to a more open order. In a virtuous cycle, economic elite influences rises as LAOs fulfil the doorstep conditions required for such a transition. These findings advance the understanding of how transitions between social orders could be operationalised and the roles of business elites within elite coalitions, which were little defined before in the literature. It is axiomatic that the work also contributes to elite theory. Future research should examine how the orientation of economic elites motivates them to pursue elite consensus. Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) Doctoral Unrestricted Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) SDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutions 2026-05-20T12:06:32Z 2026-05-20T12:06:32Z 2026-05-06 2025 Dissertation * A2025 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/110239 en © 2025 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Economic Elite Limited access orders Social Orders Theory Elite Theory Institutions The rules of the game: business elite behaviour in limited access orders |
| title | The rules of the game: business elite behaviour in limited access orders |
| title_full | The rules of the game: business elite behaviour in limited access orders |
| title_fullStr | The rules of the game: business elite behaviour in limited access orders |
| title_full_unstemmed | The rules of the game: business elite behaviour in limited access orders |
| title_short | The rules of the game: business elite behaviour in limited access orders |
| title_sort | rules of the game business elite behaviour in limited access orders |
| topic | UCTD Economic Elite Limited access orders Social Orders Theory Elite Theory Institutions |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/110239 |