First published in 1980, Paris and the Provinces explores why reforms of central-local relations in France have been so ineffectual. Professor Gourevitch discovers the cause in party politics and personal rivalries. The struggle for dominance among different parties (Gaullists, Communists, Socialists, Christian Democrats, Independents and others) and individuals (De Gaulle, Giscard, Chirac, Mitterand, Marchais, etc.) has influenced virtually every aspect of institutional reform, from the creation of the regional administration and delineation of its powers to the delegation of specific responsibilities to cities and towns.
Conflict over the mechanisms that link local life to the national government is by no means limited to France. This book closely examines comparable events in Italy and analyses the factors that differentiate the strength of ‘ethnically’ based challenges to central authority in Britain, Spain, Belgium, Yugoslavia and Canada, from the relative weakness of such challenges in France, Italy and Germany. By evaluating the territorial distribution between the capital and the countryside as both an influence on and an object of policy, Paris and the Provinces contributes significantly to understanding the connections between party politics and policy formation and will be of interest to students of political science, government, and public policy.
By:
Peter Gourevitch
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Weight: 653g
ISBN: 9781032357713
ISBN 10: 1032357711
Series: Routledge Revivals
Pages: 268
Publication Date: 14 February 2023
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgements Introduction 1. The New Criticism: The Re-emergence of Anti-Jacobin Analyses of the Areal Distribution of Powers in France 2. Alternative Explanations: The Importance of Politics 3. What Solutions? 4. Missed Opportunities: The Founding of Two Republics, 1945-1962 5. Whither Gaullism?: Alternative Coalitions and Strategies 6. Gaullism after Algeria, 1962-1969 7. Governing without De Gaulle, 1969-1978 8. The Left and the Reform of Local Government, 1945-1978 9. Alternative Outcomes: The Creation of Regional Government in Italy 10. Decentralization, Regionalism, and the Revival of Peripheral Nationalisms: Some Comparative Speculations 11. Conclusions Bibliography Index Map of the regions and departments of France
Reviews for Paris and the Provinces: The Politics of Local Government Reform in France
'A fine book. It will be a distinguished addition to the field and will make more than one specialist envious of Gourevitch's ability to explain so much about French politics without recourse to either simplistic cultural explain-alls or complicated models of organisational behaviour.' - Sidney G. Tarrow
