Political elites have been called "the core of modern government." During the course of the past century, politicians and bureaucrats have assumed a commanding role in the functioning of modern societies, especially in Europe and North America. Two groups of elites have emerged as particularly important--the civil servants who manage the national bureaucracy and the party leaders who control the national legislative process. There is no question that the attitudes and behaviors of these two groups and their relationships with each other determine, in large part, the way a political system...