Preliminary note: The process and purpose of a conceptual approach

Part 1. Towards a Logic of Elites
1.1 In populism and in denial, two elite fallacies
1.2 Multi-disciplinary literature review for a definition of elites
1.3 The logic of elite agency (i): fundamentals
1.4 The logic of elite agency (ii): theoretical perspectives
1.5 The logic of elite agency (iii): behavioral perspectives

Part 2. Towards an Elite Theory of Economic Development
2.1 Elites in political economy theory
2.2 Elites and institutions, which comes first?
2.3 Power in elite contests
2.4 Value creation business models: production, exchange and innovation
2.5 Value extraction business models: transfers
2.6 Elite business models: aggregate at the meso-level and impact on macro-level performance

Part 3. Towards an Elite Quality Measurement of the Political Economy
3.1 Is there a measurement gap?
3.2 Operationalization of elite quality, a four-level architecture
3.3 Interpretation through rankings, frameworks and narratives (macro-level)
3.4 Shaping intra-elite contests
3.5 Further research
3.6 Selected limitations for the \'elite quality index\'

Closing note: Latifundia perdidere Germaniam and how not to lose the future

Bibliography