Chapter Nine. Politics in France

Transcription

1 Chapter Nine Politics in France Comparative Politics Today, 9/e Almond, Powell, Dalton & Strøm Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman 2008

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3 Country Bio: France Country Bio: France Pop: 60.4 million Territory: 211,208 sq. miles Year of Independence: 486 Year of Current Constitution: 1958 Head of State: President Jacques Chirac Head of Government: Prime Minister Dominque De Villepin Language: French 100% Religion: Roman Catholic: 89.5% Muslim: 7.5% Protestant: 2% Jewish: 1%

4 Current Policy Challenges Current Policy Challenges 2006: French voters were worried about unemployment, crime, and urban violence. Have had high unemployment rates Questions regarding French membership in the European Union Concerned about political corruption Issues of multiculturalism Anti American sentiment

5 Historical Perspective Historical Perspective One of the oldest nation states of Europe French Revolution began with the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in 1791 (the First Republic) Three more constitutions Napoleon Restoration of Bourbons House of Orleans Paris Revolution in 1848

6 Historical Perspective Historical Perspective Second Republic ( ) Universal male suffrage Napoleon III Franco Prussian War Third Republic (1871) WWII deeply divided France Charles de Gaulle Fourth Republic ( ) 24 governments in 12 years Fifth Republic (1958 onward)

7 Economy and Society Economy and Society Mixed geography More than 3.6 million non citizens live in France (North Africa and Africa) 2 million French citizens are foreign born Urbanization came slowly Most of the urban population lives in and around Paris Strong economic development Ranks among the wealthiest of advanced industrial countries Inflation and unemployment Labor force changes Agriculture Privatization

8 Constitution and Governmental Structure Constitution of 1958 Parliamentary government The Executive President of the Republic Placed above parties Worked with Parliament, the Cabinet, the people Could appeal to the people in two ways: Submit legislation to the electorate for referendum Could dissolve Parliament and call for new elections Presidential powers used sparingly Emergency power Direct popular elections Prime minister

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11 The Legislature The Legislature Composed of two houses National Assembly 577 members Elected directly for 5 years by all citizens over 18 Committees/specialized deputies Senate 331 members Elected indirectly from department constituencies for a term of six years Half every three years Two houses are not equal in either power or influence

12 The Judiciary The Judiciary Until the Fifth Republic, France had no judicial check on the constitutionality of the actions of its political authorities. Constitutional Council Safeguard against legislative erosion Constitutional amendment in 1974

13 Political Culture Political Culture Themes in political culture The burden of history Abstraction and symbolism Distrust of government and history

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15 Religious and Antireligious Traditions Both Catholic and dechristianized Conflict between the two Revolution of 1789 Political right and left determined by attitudes toward the Catholic Church Secularization French Jews Protestants Muslims New immigration

16 Class and Status Class and Status Social class Workers/working class Strong feelings regarding belonging to a social class Class conscious Willing to demonstrate Traditional class differences reinforced by growing sense of racial and ethnic differences

17 Political Socialization Political Socialization Family Associations Education Baccalaureat Open admission Grandes ecoles Socialization and communication Mass media Decline in newspaper readership Television

18 Recruitment and Style of Elites Recruitment and Style of Elites Political class Modest social origins Changes in political recruitment Civil service Grand corps Hereditary class Tight network

19 Importance of Gender Importance of Gender Low representation of women among French political elites Political advancement requires deep investment in parties Segolene Royal Graduate of the ENA Member of the Council of State Dearth of women s representation recognized but not addressed

20 Interest Groups: The Expression of Interests No more than 8 percent of workers belonged to trade unions Decline Economic groups surge during dramatic moments in history Most groups have limited resources Labor movement Business interests Agricultural interests

21 Means of Access and Styles of Action Means of Access and Styles of Action Parliament Most convenient means to access Constitution of 1958 Neocorporatism Professional organizations versus interest groups State interest group collaboration French state subsidizes interest groups Protests

22 Parties: The Traditional Party System Right and left Electoral system of the Fifth Republic favors simplification of political alignments French party organizations skeletal Fragmentary Modest linkage between national and local Party membership low Party system became more competitive in 1980s Main political parties dominate the organization of parliamentary work and the selection of candidates Less important as mass membership organizations

23 The Main Parties: The Right and Center Union for a Popular Movement Union for French Democracy The National Front

24 The Left The Left The Socialist Party Lionel Jospin Plural left Cumul des mandats The Communists French Communist Party Georges Marchais Marie George Buffet

25 Patterns of Voting Patterns of Voting France unitary state Elections held with considerable frequency at every territorial level Communes First European country to enfranchise a mass electorate Women age 21 and older granted the vote in 1944 Voting age lowered to 18 in 1974

26 Electoral Participation and Abstention Rising abstention Voters confidence in all parties has declined Abstention cyclical Few permanent abstainers Voting In parliamentary election In referendums In presidential elections

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31 Policy Processes: The Executive Policy Processes: The Executive Two headed executive President derives authority from direct popular elections Prime minister from majority support in the National Assembly Long years of political affinity between the holders of the two offices solidified and amplified presidential powers and shaped constitutional powers that had a lasting impact From the beginning of the Fifth Republic, the president was not only formally appointed to Parliament the prime minister proposed to him, but he also chose the prime minister and the other Cabinet ministers. Since all powers proceeded from the president, the government headed by the prime minister became an administrative body until Council of Ministers chaired by the president

32 Policy Processes: The Executive Policy Processes: The Executive Prime minister is more than first among equals Cohabitation and from : conservative majority controlled Parliament and the president was a Socialist 1997 to 2002: left held parliamentary majority and the president was from a conservative party President continued to occupy the foreground in foreign and military affairs. Prime minister became the effective leader of the executive and pursued government objectives.

33 Policy Processes: The Executive Policy Processes: The Executive Limits to executive power Role of policy failures Other ministers involvement Role of networks Two different patterns exist for sharing executive power When majorities are identical; prime minister is subordinate Under conditions of cohabitation, the prime minister clearly gains dominant authority at the expense of the president.

34 Policy Processes: The Parliament Policy Processes: The Parliament Constitution curtains the powers of Parliament: As a source of legislation As an organ of executive control Blocked vote, Article 44 Ordinances, Article 38 Motion of censure, Article 49, Section 3 Used infrequently; virtually excludes Parliament from meaningful participation in the legislative process

35 Policy Processes: The Parliament Policy Processes: The Parliament Devices for enhancing the role of Parliament Extended sessions Weekly question period Television cameras Power to amend General support that French citizens give their elected deputies Role of Senate Delay legislation Some situations where their accord is necessary Constitutional amendment Criticisms of the Senate

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37 Checks and Balances Checks and Balances No tradition of judicial review Constitutional Council Considerable impact Judicial restraint Council of State

38 The State and Territorial Relations The State and Territorial Relations Unitary state France divided into 100 departments (about the size of a U.S. county) Each is under the administrative responsibility of a prefect and has a directly elected general council. Grouped into 22 regions Centralization versus the process of decentralization Powers

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40 Performance and Prospects: A Welfare State France has a mediocre record for spreading benefits among all its citizens. Emergence of long term unemployment

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42 Performance and Prospects: A Welfare State Concentration of wealth Distribution of taxes: the share of indirect taxes such as the VAT and excise taxes remains far higher in France than in other industrialized countries Indirect taxes not only drive up prices but also weigh most heavily on the poor. Most effective in the area of social transfers Relatively low poverty rates High level of quality medical services and public services

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44 Nationalization and Regulation Nationalization and Regulation Government operated business enterprises Railroads; almost all energy production; and much of the telecommunication; most air and maritime transport; most of the aeronautic industry; 85 percent of bank deposits; 40 percent of insurance premiums; one third of the auto industry, and one third of the housing industry Privatization Deregulation of the economy Other areas of regulation Environment immigration

45 Outlook: France and the New Architecture of Europe Main concerns that dominated French politics 30 years ago have changed dramatically. Political cleavages based on new conflicts are emerging. Immigration Cold War Common Market Rejection of the European Constitutional Treaty Problem of identity in an expanding European Union and an independent world