Bilderberg People ─ Elite Power and Consensus in World Affairs

Bilderberg People explores the hidden mechanisms of influence at work in the private world, and personal interactions, of the transnational power elite. It is not concerned with conspiracy theories; instead it is about certain fundamental forces that shape the world in which we live. These forces, with their power to bring about transitions in emotion and preference within, and beyond, the elite community have potentially profound implications for all of us.
Through exclusive interviews with attendees of the most prestigious of all informal transnational networks – Bilderberg – this book provides a unique insight into the networking habits and motivations of the world’s most powerful people. Moreover, it demonstrates that elite consensus is not simply a product of collective common sense among the elite group; rather, it is a consequence of subtle power relationships within the elite circle. These relationships, which are embedded in the very fabric of elite institutions and interactions, result in a particular brand of enlightened thinking within the elite community.
This exciting new volume sheds light for the first time on the critical question of who runs the world and why they run it the way they do.

Ian Richardson is a researcher at Stockholm University Business School and a Visiting Fellow at Cranfield University School of Management. His research interests include global governance, transnational policy networks, business and political elites, transnational corporations, multi-stakeholder collaboration, power and consensus in organizations, and political marketing. As a former business leader and entrepreneur in the European digital information sector, he has an ongoing interest in innovation and regulation related to the internet and continues to advise organizations within the sector.
Andrew Kakabadse is Professor of International Management Development, Doughty Centre, Cranfield University’s School of Management, UK. Recognized as a world authority on leadership and governance, Andrew has held and also holds visiting appointments at the Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, Universite Pantheon Assas, Paris, France, Centre for Creative Leadership and Thunderbird, the Garvin School of International Management, United States, University of Ulster, The Windsor Leadership Trust, UK, Institute of Management Economics and Strategic Research, Kazakhstan, and Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Australia. He has consulted and lectured in every region of the world. His bestselling books include The Politics of Management, Working in Organizations, the Wealth Creators, Leading the Board, Rice Wine with the Minister and Leading Smart Transformation: A Roadmap to World Class Government.
Nada K. Kakabadse is Professor in Management and Business Research at the University of Northampton, Business School and Visiting Professor at US, Australian, French, Kazakhstani and Chinese universities. She has co-authored seventeen books (with Andrew Kakabadse) and has published over 140 scholarly articles. Her current areas of interest focus on leadership, strategy, boardroom effectiveness, governance, CSR and ethics, and ICT impact on individual and society. Nada is co-editor of the Journal of Management Development and the Corporate Governance journal.

Introduction 1. Transnationalism and the Transnational Policy Elite 2. Legitimacy in World Politics 3. Collaboration and Partnership in World Politics 4. Consensus and World Affairs 5. The Seductive Lure of Elite Membership 6. Elite Networks in World Affairs 7. The Consequesnces of Elite Consensus. Conclusion: Making Sense of Elite Power and Consensus