The Work Profile of the National Political Elite
Party Recruitment and the Distribution of Power in the Federal Senate
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15448/2178-5694.2026.1.48963Keywords:
Federal Senate, parliamentary committees, social backgroundAbstract
The study of the socio-occupational profile of the national political eliteprovides an understanding of competition within the political field for status in the power hierarchy. This research examines the profile of party recruitment between the late 1990s and the early 2000s, an interstice during which profound political and social restructurings reconfigured the structure of power. The objective is to present the profile of Senators’ occupational backgrounds prior to their political careers, outlining the conversion of social capital into political capital. Thus, it becomes possible to understand how the occupation preceding the electoral endeavor explains the profile of the national political elite from the perspective of social background. Where association and dependence exist, it is observed that parties prioritize the recruitment of strata aligned with their ideological matrix (with the exception of catch-all parties); however, in the exercise of institutional power, the social profile of prior occupations also influences the distribution of positions of power, including within the Federal Senate.
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