What characterises a civil society elite? How does this elite emerge and interact with elites from politics and business? With these questions, this book challenges the assumption that civil society is inherently egalitarian and shielded from elite formation. Drawing on unique empirical data and combining elite studies with civil society research, the book investigates civil society elite structures in four countries - Italy, Poland, Sweden and the UK. The patterns of elitisation that emerge reveal that a civil society elite is distinctly different from the general civil society constituency. Patterns also show how the civil society elite is integrated with other elite groups of society. The book explores how these patterns can be linked to the institutional and historical backgrounds of civil society in the four countries. It also looks into how integration in wider elite circles may shape the attitudes of the civil society elite towards representation and inclusion, both central civil society values. While we expect that civil society offers a counterbalance to asymmetries of power in society at large, this book shows that investigating the internal power structures of civil society is essential. It is also important to reflect on the paradox of a civil society elite: while such an elite may contribute to advancing social change, it also risks reproducing inequality by distancing civil society organisations from its grassroots, thereby undermining civil society's democratic promise.