Testing a Model of American Elite Generational Continuity with Cross National Data

A cross national data set consisting of 122 national chief executives who were in office in 1990 is used to test the validity of a model of American elite generational continuity. The hypothesis is that the model will be as useful in explaining the kinship dimensions of elite continuity in other political systems as it is in the study of American political leadership. In broad terms the findings with respect to national chief executives correspond closely to the expectations of the model. Most of the differences between the expected and the discovered kinship patterns may be accounted for by the fact that descendants of at least some of the leaders still have time to enter the political arena