Developments in French Politics

323 Pages·1990·32.152 MB·English

by  Peter A. Hall, Jack Hayward, Howard Machin (eds.)

Developments in
French Politics
Developments in
French Politics
Edited by
Peter A. Hall
Jack Hayward
Howard Machin
Macmillan Education
ISBN 978-0-333-49009-9 ISBN 978-1-349-20959-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-20959-0
Selection and editorial matter © Peter A. Hall, Jack Hayward and
Howard Machin 1990
Introduction © Howard Machin 1990
Individual chapters (in order) © Jack Hayward, Howard Machin, Fran~ois Platone,
Peter A. Hall, Howard Machin, Vincent Wright, Fran~oise Dreyfus, Sonia Mazey,
Peter A. Hall, Gary P. Freeman, Jolyon Howorth, Alain Guyomarch, Martin
Harrison, Stephen E. Bornstein, and Jack Hayward 1990
Reprint of the original edition 1990
All rights reserved. For information, write:
Scholarly and Reference Division,
St. Martin's Press, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue,
New York, N.Y. 10010
First published in the United States of America in 1990
ISBN 978-0-312-04751-1 cloth
ISBN 978-0-312-04752-8 paper
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Developments in French politics/edited by Peter A. Hall, Jack
Hayward, Howard Machin.
p. em.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-312-04751-1. - ISBN 978-0-312-04752-8(pbk.)
1. France-Politics and government-1981- I. Hall, Peter A.,
1950- . II. Hayward, Jack Ernest Shalom. III. Machin, Howard.
JN2594.2.D48 1990
944.087'8-dc20 90-8199
CIP
Contents
List of Maps and Tables ix
Preface X
Notes on the Contributors xi
Abbreviations Xlll
Introduction Howard Machin 1
PART ONE: THE POLITICAL SYSTEM
1 Ideological Change: The Exhaustion of the Revolutionary
Impetus Jack Hayward 15
Retro-Communism: The End of Marxism-Leninism's
Intellectual Hegemony 17
Socialist Reformism and Catch-All Compromise 20
Pseudo-Liberalism and the Fragmented French Right 22
Populist Nationalism: A Resurgent Extreme Right 25
1992: A European Mobilising Myth 27
The Scope and Limits of French Consensus 30
2 Changing Patterns of Party Competition Howard Machin 33
Party Changes in Response to Inter- and Intra-Party
Pressures 36
The Parties and the Changing Electorate 45
The Parties and the Changing Institutional Environment 51
Conclusions: Changing Parties and a Hybrid Party System 54
3 Public Opinion and Electoral Change Franr;ois Platone 55
Long-Term Trends in Voting Behaviour since 1958 56
The First Alternation of Government and Cohabitation 60
The Presidential Election of 24 April and 8 May 1988 64
The Parliamentary Elections of 5 June and 12 June 1988 71
The Lessons of the 1988 Elections 72
v
v1 Contents
4 Pluralism and Pressure Politics Peter A. Hall 77
Pluralist Politics in the 1980s 82
Retrospect and Prospect 90
PART Two: THE GovERNMENTAL SYSTEM
5 Political Leadership Howard Machin 95
The 'de Gaulle Revolution' in Leadership 96
New Variations on a Presidential Theme, 1981-6 102
Prime Ministerial Leadership: Before and Beyond
Cohabitation 105
Changing the Limits of Political Leadership: Europe and
Decentralisation 110
Promoting New Leadership Styles: Institutions and Media 111
Concluding Remarks 113
6 The Administrative Machine: Old Problems and New
Dilemmas Vincent Wright 114
The Napoleonic Model of Administration 115
The Distortion of the Napoleonic Model 116
The Impact of Recent Developments 123
Conclusions 131
7 The Control of Governments Fram;;oise Dreyfus 133
Parliament: The Controller Controlled 135
The Executive under Judicial Control 141
Internal Control 145
Conclusions 150
8 Power outside Paris Sonia Mazey 152
Administrative and Sociological Theories 153
The Defferre Reforms 157
Conclusion 167
PART THREE: PuBLIC POLICIES
9 The State and the Market Peter A. Hall 171
French Dirigism 171
The Implications of Economic Openness 173
The Evolution of Economic Policy 175
Economic Policy since 1986 178
The Outlook for the 1990s 183
Contents vii
10 Financial Crisis and Policy Continuity in the Welfare
State Gary P. Freeman 188
Origins and Structure of the Welfare State 189
Conclusion 199
11 Foreign and Defence Policy: From Independence to
Interdependence Jolyon Howorth 201
The Foreign Policy-Making Process 201
France in Europe between the Superpowers 204
France and the World: Creative Diplomacy and Persistent
Paradoxes 212
New Caledonia, Muroroa and the South Pacific 214
Conclusion 217
PART FouR: CuRRENT CoNTROVERSIES
12 Adversary Politics, Civil Liberties and Law and Order
Alain Guyomarch 221
Inherited Problems of Policing, Justice and Civil Rights 222
The Socialists 1981-6: Policies for Civil Liberties and
Policing 227
The Right and Insecurity: From Opposition to Power 231
The Socialists' Return to Power: 1988 and Beyond 234
Conclusion 236
13 The Politics of Media Reform Martin Harrison 237
The Press 238
Broadcasting 241
Conclusion 251
14 Immigration and Politics Martin A. Schain 253
Changing Patterns of Immigration 254
Immigration Policy 256
The Politics of Race 261
Conclusion 267
15 The Politics of Scandal Stephen E. Bornstein 269
Introduction 269
The Nature of French Scandals 271
The Causes of Scandal 273
The Limited Impact of French Scandals 278
Developmental Trends 280
viii Contents
16 Conclusion: Political Science, the State and Modernisation
Jack Hayward 282
Public Power and Pervasive Legalism 284
The Political Science of Elite Training 286
Mass Political Culture, Electoral Sociology and Opinion
Polling 287
Modernisation and the Statist Policy Style 291
Relative Autonomy: France as Fashion Follower 295
Guide to Further Reading 298
Bibliography 304
Index 312
List of Maps and Tables
Maps
1 France: regions, departements and main towns xiv
2 Left-Right voting by departement in 1974: voting
in the second round of the presidential election 58
3 Religious attendance by departement 59
4 Decline in Communist party vote by departement, 1981-8:
voting in the first round of the presidential election 68
5 Voting for Mitterrand by departement, 8 May 1988 70
Tables
2.1 The parliamentary parties: (a) per cent first ballot votes;
(b) seats in the National Assembly 34
2.2 Parties and power since 1979 35
2.3 The presidential and European party systems 36
3.1 Results of the 1988 presidential election (for the
whole of France) 66
3.2 Transfer of votes from first to second round of the
1988 presidential election (first-round votes =
100 per cent) 69
3.3 Results of the 1988 National Assembly elections: first
round (the whole of France) 71
3.4 Voting analysis of the 1988 presidential election:
second round (by social categories, all France; per cent) 74
3.5 Ideological profile of Left- and Right-wing voters,
24 April 1988 (per cent) 75
8.1 Local authority expenditure in millions of francs 165
12.1 Crime increases, 1972-84 225
14.1 The motivations of voters in 1984, 1986 and 1988 265
ix
Preface
This book originated from a lunch-time discussion at the London
School of Economics (LSE) between Gordon Smith, Patrick Dun
leavy and Howard Machin; our first thanks go to Gordon and
Patrick but also to Steven Kennedy, our publisher, all of whom
gave valuable advice and encouragement throughout the project.
We are also grateful to Jacques Lagroye, Vincent Wright and our
two unknown readers for many helpful suggestions, most of which
we followed. The editors and contributors owe a great deal to the
German Marshall Fund (via Harvard's Centre for European Stud
ies) and the Suntory-Toyota International Centre for Economics
and Related Disciplines (LSE) for supporting a two-day collo
quium to discuss every part of the book at a very early stage. At
that meeting we appreciated comments from Alain J eunemaltre
and John Keeler, then both Visitors at LSE. Peter Hall's work
on France was generously supported by the Lurcy Charitable and
Educational Trust, and Jonah Levy provided excellent research
assistance on pressure groups. Howard Machin wishes to thank
the Direction des relations culturelles, scientifiques et techniques
of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Cultural Service
of the French Embassy in London for their generous support for
his fieldwork. Our special thanks to two other European Research
staff at LSE: June Burnham for translations of the chapters by
Fran~ois Platone and Fran~oise Dreyfus, and Marian Clark for
secretarial, administrative and moral support.
Howard Machin
Jack Hayward
Peter Hall
X