1. LG302 Comparative European Politics France: Still A Majoritarian Democracy?

2. 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

3. Majoritarian and consensual democracies

4. 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: http://bit.ly/WWQnlg)

6. France – 1974- 1973Arab-Israeli war, oil price shock

7. France – 1974- 1973Arab-Israeli war, oil price shock 1974Valéry Giscard d’Estaing elected president Social reforms Constitutional Council

8. France – 1974- 1973Arab-Israeli war, oil price shock 1974Valéry Giscard d’Estaing elected president 1981François Mitterrand elected president Nationalisations, reflation public employment

9. France – 1974- 1973Arab-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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

24. The French State Privatisation ideological (1986-88, 1993-97) EU-led TF1 (1987), Banks, Renault (1996), AGF – insurance (1996), France Telecom (1997)

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

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

27. 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?

28. 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