LG302 Comparative European Politics France: Still A Majoritarian Democracy?

Majoritarian and consensual democracies According to Arend Lijphart A majoritarian democracy “concentrates power in the hands of the majority” A consensual democracy “tries to arrive at as much consensus as possible by restraining majority rule and by sharing, dispersing, and limiting political power” To distinguish between them, Lijphart focused on two political dimensions and 10 institutional characteristics

Majoritarian and consensual democracies

France Lane and Ersson: “France, under the Gaullist set of institutions, is as majoritarian a polity as there can be” (in French Politics, 1:1, 2003, available at:

France – Arab-Israeli war, oil price shock

France – Arab-Israeli war, oil price shock 1974Valéry Giscard d’Estaing elected president Social reforms Constitutional Council

France – Arab-Israeli war, oil price shock 1974Valéry Giscard d’Estaing elected president 1981François Mitterrand elected president Nationalisations, reflation public employment

France – Arab-Israeli war, oil price shock 1974Valéry Giscard d’Estaing elected president 1981François Mitterrand elected president Deflation Liberalisation (media) PR electoral system (local, Euro) Party system changes FN, Greens, other groups Maastricht

France – A majoritarian democracy? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian or consensual? Nature of executive power Executive-legislative relations Party system Electoral system Interest group system Centre-periphery relations Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

France – A majoritarian democracy? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian or consensual? Nature of executive powerMajoritarian? Executive-legislative relations Party system Electoral system Interest group system Centre-periphery relations Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

France – A majoritarian democracy? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian or consensual? Nature of executive powerMajoritarian? Executive-legislative relationsMajoritarian Party system Electoral system Interest group system Centre-periphery relations Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

France – A majoritarian democracy? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian or consensual? Nature of executive powerMajoritarian? Executive-legislative relationsMajoritarian Party systemMajoritarian? Electoral system Interest group system Centre-periphery relations Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

France – A majoritarian democracy? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian or consensual? Nature of executive powerMajoritarian? Executive-legislative relationsMajoritarian Party systemMajoritarian? Electoral systemMajoritarian? Interest group system Centre-periphery relations Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

France – A majoritarian democracy? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian or consensual? Nature of executive powerMajoritarian? Executive-legislative relationsMajoritarian Party systemMajoritarian? Electoral systemMajoritarian? Interest group systemMajoritarian? Centre-periphery relations Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

France – A majoritarian democracy? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian or consensual? Nature of executive powerMajoritarian? Executive-legislative relationsMajoritarian Party systemMajoritarian? Electoral systemMajoritarian? Interest group systemMajoritarian? Centre-periphery relations Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

France – A majoritarian democracy? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian or consensual? Nature of executive powerMajoritarian? Executive-legislative relationsMajoritarian Party systemMajoritarian? Electoral systemMajoritarian? Interest group systemMajoritarian? Centre-periphery relationsConsensual Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

France – A majoritarian democracy? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian or consensual? Nature of executive powerMajoritarian? Executive-legislative relationsMajoritarian Party systemMajoritarian? Electoral systemMajoritarian? Interest group systemMajoritarian? Centre-periphery relationsConsensual Type of legislatureMajoritarian Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

France – A majoritarian democracy? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian or consensual? Nature of executive powerMajoritarian? Executive-legislative relationsMajoritarian Party systemMajoritarian? Electoral systemMajoritarian? Interest group systemMajoritarian? Centre-periphery relationsConsensual Type of legislatureMajoritarian Type of constitutionMajoritarian? Judicial review Central bank

France – A majoritarian democracy? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian or consensual? Nature of executive powerMajoritarian? Executive-legislative relationsMajoritarian Party systemMajoritarian? Electoral systemMajoritarian? Interest group systemMajoritarian? Centre-periphery relationsConsensual Type of legislatureMajoritarian Type of constitutionMajoritarian? Judicial reviewMajoritarian? Central bank

France – A majoritarian democracy? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian or consensual? Nature of executive powerMajoritarian? Executive-legislative relationsMajoritarian Party systemMajoritarian? Electoral systemMajoritarian? Interest group systemMajoritarian? Centre-periphery relationsConsensual Type of legislatureMajoritarian Type of constitutionMajoritarian? Judicial reviewMajoritarian? Central bankConsensual

The French State Privatisation ideological ( , ) EU-led TF1 (1987), Banks, Renault (1996), AGF – insurance (1996), France Telecom (1997)

The French State Privatisation Deregulation, end of monopolies EU Electricity, postal services

The French State Privatisation Deregulation, end of monopolies New public management Emphasis on quality and value-for-money in delivery of public services

Conclusion By the mid-1970s France had one of the most majoritarian systems in the world Now France still has many majoritarian features, but the political process has been transformed and has become less majoritarian So what?

Conclusion Some people would argue that the collapse of the 4 th Republic in 1958 was because of the absence of majoritarian institutions They argue that strong leadership after 1958 resolved the Algerian crisis and created stability In the last 30 years, France has preferred representation to effectiveness and the political system has become fairer but less governable