DOCSLIB.ORG

Enquiry Into Economic Regionalism in France

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Enquiry Into Economic Regionalism in France I2O THE SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW ENQUIRY INTO ECONOMIC REGIONALISM IN FRANCE. ORGANIZED BY HUNTLY CABTER. The following replies are the result of an attempt to discover the opinions of a certain number of distinguished French econoiiiista and regionalists on the question of national and local autonomy.* The questions submitted for their consideration were as follows :— 1. Is the world-wide movement towards national and local autonomy desirable? 2. Do you think that the war, and the idea of national autonomy has had any influence on economic and industrial regionalism in France? 3. If so, what influence from the theoretical point of view? What influence from the practical point of view? 4. Would a lasting peace be more likely if the nations were organi.<!ed on an autonomous basis ? The following note waB also added :—There are two further questions implied in the Questionnaire on which you may wish to expresn an opinion. At regards question 2. Could you quote some examples of regionalist independence in France amounting to a synthesis of regional life ? At regards question 3. How far, do you think, the defeat of Germany will permit of a willing surrender of central power so far as Paris is concemed, supposing that such a centralisation was only an inevitable defence against Qerman aggression? M. PlERBS DB MABOUSSEM. President of the Society of Social Economics and Union for Social Peace. (1) We believe it to be desirable, and in any case it is impossible to prevent it. The awakening of individualism amongst the most advanced of the rich and pros- perous nations has led to what is called "The Liberal Movement"; and as sn almost necessary counterpart, the Liberal Movement has hiought in its train, that of Nationalities. Within the most eolidly united nations, on the other hand, the memory of the little nationalities, gradually incorporated in the course of history, must manifest itself similarly :—this manifestation is oalled "Regionalism." (2) The fact is undeniable. (3) These two points of view are indistinguishable. To convince oneself of this it is only necessary to rp^^itulate the history of what is called Eegionalisn) in France from the Declaration of War in 1914. Immediately after the opening of hostilities the Minutry of War transformed the arew, from which the Army Corps were drawn, into eoonomic ureas, and this wiUi a view to re-vitalizing them. A D^artni«it for tiiis pnrpow has been set np in Rue St. Dominique. * Wh«B I speak of "National aat<momy" I mean what is called in ISnglish "Hom« Rule," that is to aay a ctmntry considered aa a self-safficiant entity. It is aMamod Uiat eadi cboatiy, should be governed in ite own way, and even each put ot tbe cooBtry, {'-f., SwitMrland). FRENCH REGIONALISM 121 Shortly afterwards the Ministry of Commerce tried to divide France into a certain number of purely economic Regions, using the information derived from the researches of the Federation Jiegionalittd. Fran(;aise, and of the Lique pour la Repretentation professtonnelle of M. Jean Hennessy. M Hauser, Professor of the Faculty of Dijon, is responsible for this Department of the Ministry of Com- merce. With the aid, especially, of the map published on the 12th of October, 1916, by the Exportateur Fran<;aise, and after consultations with the Chambers of Commerce, whose assistance he sought, he endeavoured to make a fresh redivision which grouped the departments into 16 Regions, (see the map published by the ExcelfioT in April, 1919). However, after the Armistice a very clear Regionalistic movement showed itself in re-conquered Alsace and Lorraine. The efforts attempted in this direction have been emphasised by the Congress of the Soci^ti of Social Economics in June, 1919. On the other hand, the invaded departments of the region of the Nord, finding that economic reconstitution did not act sufliciently quickly under the direction of the centralised administrations, organised the States General of the devastated provinces. The idea that centralisation complicates questions, and does not resolve them grows more and more. (4) The size'of the autonomous regions does not seem to have a direct influence on the chance of a lasting peace. Old Europe, divided into innumerable little princi. palities was always at war. The concentration in great states has led to the catastrophes from which we are emerging. Nevertheless, the experience of humanity seems to show that little nations are less subject to corruption than great ones, and consequently bring about less easily the great convulsions of history which bring in their wake so much bloodshed and so many tears. If disciplined, above all, by a well-conceived League of Nations, and cemented by frequent interchanges, they would perhaps lead to a General European Confederation, which, in theory, would be desirable, although the realisation could not be expected for long years to come. HENRI Correspondent of the Institute. Professor at the Sorbonne and at the National Conservatoire of Industrial Arts. r. 1 think it is vain to ask oneself if the movement towards national autonomy is, or is not, desirable. It might be possible that the opposite movement—that which geems to drag humanity towards the effacement of different national charac- teristics—would be more desirable. But facts are facts. The war showed cruelly the danger—in all that touches the essential elements in production—for a people to depend upon other peoples, aa the economic condition of war, will not disappear with peace, but will prolong itself as long as the rareflcation of work and matters and raw material: no theory can prevail against necessity for people who desire to live at all, to give an autonomous base to their national economics. Regarding the movement which is manifesting itself in many luids—as in France,—the United Kingdom, Belgium—in favour of regional autonomy, it seemx to me desirable in every way. These states will have after-war problems and needs which willl be terribly difficult to solve and to satisfy. If their central govern- ments determine to arrange all these matters themselves by means of centralised administration they will not be able to accomplish the task. Nothing will be done, or at be«t there will be deplorable delay. Only the regional aothorities who are in close touch with men And their work, know the real needs of the popnlation, &nd in what these differ from the neighbouring population's needs. They alone 122 THE SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW can rapidly take decisions upon matters as they arise, find the resources necessary, aroQse enthusiasm in local groups for work which is of collective interest. The central executive and legislative powers should not intervene except to harmonise the aspirations of the divers regions—to avoid or set right any conflicts, keep certain regions from seeing only their own interests—in short to maintain the meaning of a superior rational unity. But the central executive should not have the responsibility for the affairs of these regions. Economically, the nation should be oonstituted as a Limited Company divided into several branches, each branch having its committee of administration. Above each of Ihese committees would sit the central committee, representing the general interests of the Company. II. The war has certainly had an effect upon the eoonomic regionalism of France, and this for several reasons : (a) In August-September, 1914, a large part of the regions of France, (without speaking of the invaded regions) found themselves more or less cut off from their relations with the capital, towards which they were in the habit of turning. During a certain time they had reason to believe that their capital would be occupied by the enemy. Bordeaux, become the political and administrative capital could not, in spite of its importance, replace Paris as eoonomic capital. The regions—those which the Parisians, with inexact and dangerous generalisation, call the Provinces—the regions were forced to be self-supporting, and, with the neighbouring localities, maintain national life. The result was a marvellous work of spontaneous organisation, in which the municipalities collaborated with the local assemblies, chambers of commerce. Trade Unions, associations, etc., and these combined really saved France. Such a life wag an education, and the men who h&ve lived and made life possible in those tragic times will be less than ever disposed to receive orders from, and put up with the delays of central administration. (b) The imperious necessity of industrial war has enormously developed existing local centres and created new ones. The temporary disappearance of the industries of the valley of the North and North East has strengthened, for example, the industries of the valley of the Rhone, and of the Alps, and has caused all sorts of new industrial regions to be set up—such as that of the Pyranftes. Because of this necessity seveml sleepy and monotonous, lazy districts have come to life, and immense factories have brought with them a working population—who will not forget all this. (c) Even the determination of the war brings to economic regionalism two powerful arguments : first, Alsace, for nearly fifty years outside the French community, can only participate usefully now in the national lire of France if her peculiarities are respected, and if her special situation and interests are considered; she gives to the rest of France a chance for experimenting with regionalism. Secondly, the re-conqnered territories are in snch a condition that it seems as if rapid reconstruction is impossible, if people wish to set about this by the ordinary centralised means. It is not possible at this moment—and it will not be possible for a long time,—to act at Lille and at Arras as at Nantes and at Toulouse.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • FRANCE Figure Analysis – Displacement Related to Disasters
    FRANCE Figure Analysis – Displacement Related to Disasters SUMMARY OF INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN 2019 France suffered from several serious and deadly disasters that caused multiple new displacements and destroyed or severely damaged many houses in 2019. IDMC estimates that there were 36 disaster events which triggered more than 16,700 new displacements. The main triggers of displacement were floods, heavy rains, storms, landslides, earthquakes and wildfires. All new displacements were caused by disasters, none by conflict or violence. France had one of the highest recorded numbers of new displacements resulting from disasters in Europe. In metropolitan France, there were 32 new displacement events, 6,157 new displacements, 674 pre-emptive evacuations and more than 800 houses destroyed. Most new displacements were caused by storms and floods. The most significant displacement event in metropolitan France was an earthquake on 11 November in Ardèche which displaced more than 2,000 people. At least 2,000 people affected by the disaster were living in a situation of displacement as of 31 December 2019. The second largest displacement event took place on 23 November and led to the evacuation of 1,655 people. The most significant displacement event in France as a whole, including Oversees France, was Cyclone Belna, which in December led to the displacement of more than 10,000 people in the overseas territory of Mayotte. IDMC was only able to identify a stock figure for the number of IDPs living in France as of 31 December for one displacement event: the earthquake in Ardèche. The true figure, however, may be larger. One of the most significant challenges of monitoring displacement in the country is the lack of time series data related to the duration of displacement and the extent to which people have reached durable solutions, such as returns or resettlement.
    [Show full text]
  • France Relations the Strategic Dialogue in 1998, Soon After India's Nuclear Tests, Led to India and France Entering
    India – France Relations The Strategic Dialogue in 1998, soon after India’s nuclear tests, led to India and France entering into a strategic partnership encompassing security, space, defence and civil nuclear cooperation sectors. India-France relationship enjoys bipartisan support in France and has been accorded a high priority by all the Presidents of France. With the establishment of the strategic partnership, there has been significant progress in all areas of bilateral cooperation through regular high-level exchanges at the Head of State/Head of Government levels. Indo-French relations received a boost in 2015 with high level engagements and expansion of the already strong cooperation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a landmark visit to France from 09-12 April, 2015. Prime Minister Modi and President of France Mr. Francois Hollande held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2015. They again met in Paris on 30 November 2015 at the Leaders’ Event of CoP-21 (21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in Paris. There has been a significant progress in bilateral relations through regular Ministerial and official visits and exchanges in strategic areas of security, defence, nuclear energy, space as well as in other areas of bilateral cooperation like science and technology, culture, education etc. France has continued to support India’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council and multilateral export control regimes like the NSG, MTCR etc. Major Visits: President of France, Mr Francois Hollande will be paying a visit to India from 24-26 January, 2016 and will be the chief guest at the 67th Republic Day Parade.
    [Show full text]
  • Post-Colonial Trends of Income Inequality in the Oversears
    Post-colonial Trends of Income Inequality in The Overseas Departments of France∗ Yajna Govind y Please do not circulate. Abstract The existing socioeconomic disparities in the French overseas departments are widely acknowledged. However, despite the recurrent occurrence of protests and riots in these territories, there has sparsely been an in-depth long-run economic analysis on this assertion. This study estimates the evolution of income inequality in the four old- est French colonies, now overseas departments; La R´eunion,Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyane since their decolonisation in 1946 until recent years. It is the first long-run comparative analysis of inequality at the regional level in France and is among the few that analyses all four overseas departments together. Drawing on a new income tax dataset put together in this paper, the results reveal a somewhat inverted-U shaped curve of inequality over the period. Interestingly, the top 10% income share is consis- tently higher in the overseas departments compared to the metropolis while top 1% stabilises at the same level as the metropolis in the recent period. Finally, it is worth noting that there are differences between the four territories. Moreover, the inequal- ity trends observed hide underlying cleavages. Using administrative data, I show that there is a \metropolitan" income premium in the overseas department. Keywords: Inequality, Top incomes, France, Overseas Departments, Taxation JEL classification: D63, H20, N30 ∗Version: 29/11/2018 yPSE, INED | Contact: [email protected] 1. Introduction The prevailing socioeconomic disparities in the French overseas departments are widely acknowledged in the local political and public sphere.
    [Show full text]
  • FRANCE May 2007 COUNTRY Formal Name: French Republic
    Library of Congress – Federal Research Division Country Profile: France, May 2007 COUNTRY PROFILE: FRANCE May 2007 COUNTRY Formal Name: French Republic (République Française). Short Form: France. Term for Citizen(s): Frenchman/Frenchwoman. Adjective: French. Capital: Paris. Major Cities: The country’s capital Paris, the only French city Click to Enlarge Image with more than 1 million inhabitants, has a population of 2,142,800 in the city proper (as of 2004) and 11,330,700 in the metropolitan area (2003 estimate). Greater metropolitan Paris encompasses more than 15 percent of the country’s total population. The second largest city is Marseille, a major Mediterranean seaport, with about 795,600 inhabitants. Other major cities include Lyon, an industrial center in east-central France, with 468,300 inhabitants, and the second largest metropolitan area in France, with 1,665,700 people. Further important cities include: Toulouse, 426,700, a manufacturing and European aviation center in southwestern France; Nice, 339,000, a resort city on the French Riviera; Nantes, 276,200, a seaport and shipbuilding center on the Atlantic coast; Strasbourg, 273,100, the principal French port on the Rhine River and a seat of the European parliament (in addition to Brussels); Montpellier, 244,700, a commercial and manufacturing city in southern France; and Bordeaux, 229,500, a major seaport in southwestern France and the principal exporting center for key French vineyard regions. According to the 1999 decadal census, more than 25 additional French cities had populations surpassing 100,000. Independence: July 14, Bastille Day, is France’s national holiday. Public Holidays: New Year’s Day (January 1); Easter Monday (variable date in March or April); Labor Day (May 1); Ascension Day (Thursday, 40 days after Easter); World War II Victory Day (May 8); Bastille Day (July 14); Assumption (August 15); All Saints’ Day (November 1); Armistice Day (November 11); and Christmas Day (December 25).
    [Show full text]
  • France in the South Pacific Power and Politics
    France in the South Pacific Power and Politics France in the South Pacific Power and Politics Denise Fisher Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at http://epress.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Fisher, Denise, author. Title: France in the South Pacific : power and politics / Denise Fisher. ISBN: 9781922144942 (paperback) 9781922144959 (eBook) Notes: Includes bibliographical references. Subjects: France--Foreign relations--Oceania. Oceania--Foreign relations--France. France--Foreign relations--New Caledonia. New Caledonia--Foreign relations--France. Dewey Number: 327.44095 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design and layout by ANU E Press Printed by Griffin Press This edition © 2013 ANU E Press Contents Acknowledgements . vii List of maps, figures and tables . ix Glossary and acronyms . xi Maps . xix Introduction . 1 Part I — France in the Pacific to the 1990s 1. The French Pacific presence to World War II . 13 2. France manages independence demands and nuclear testing 1945–1990s . 47 3 . Regional diplomatic offensive 1980s–1990s . 89 Part II — France in the Pacific: 1990s to present 4. New Caledonia: Implementation of the Noumea Accord and political evolution from 1998 . 99 5. French Polynesia: Autonomy or independence? . 179 6. France’s engagement in the region from the 1990s: France, its collectivities, the European Union and the region .
    [Show full text]
  • Sugar and the Edge of France, 1800-1860
    Droits and Frontières: Sugar and the Edge of France, 1800-1860 Item Type text; Electronic Thesis Authors Yarrington, Jonna M. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 06/10/2021 23:07:45 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/316894 DROITS AND FRONTIÈRES: SUGAR AND THE EDGE OF FRANCE, 1800-1860 by Jonna M. Yarrington ____________________________ A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF ANTHROPOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2014 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that an accurate acknowledgment of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author.
    [Show full text]
  • School Divisions and Inequalities in Funding, Access to Schools and Staffing Patrice Caro
    School divisions and inequalities in funding, access to schools and staffing Patrice Caro To cite this version: Patrice Caro. School divisions and inequalities in funding, access to schools and staffing. Pierre Champollion. Territorialization of education. Trend or necessity, ISTE, 2020. halshs-02780825 HAL Id: halshs-02780825 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-02780825 Submitted on 4 Jun 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Chapter 1 School divisions and inequalities in funding, access to schools and staffing 1.1 Summary The French education system produces its own inequalities, in addition to those generated by the demographic, economic, cultural and social context in which it operates. How many different versions of France appear when we analyze the inequalities in the distribution of both financial and human resources by the different levels of the State and by the various local authorities, as well as the inequalities in physical accessibility (roads, for example) to high schools? Can we talk about divisions concerning
    [Show full text]
  • Catholic Missionaries and the Colonial State in French Algeria, 1830-1914
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2-2015 Civilizing Settlers: Catholic Missionaries and the Colonial State in French Algeria, 1830-1914 Kyle Francis Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/558 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] CIVILIZING SETTLERS: CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES AND THE COLONIAL STATE IN FRENCH ALGERIA, 1830-1914 by KYLE FRANCIS A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2015 © 2015 KYLE FRANCIS All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in History in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Professor David Troyansky ______________________ _________________________________________ Date Chair of Examining Committee Professor Helena Rosenblatt ______________________ _________________________________________ Date Executive Officer Professor Dagmar Herzog Professor Clifford Rosenberg Professor Megan Vaughan Professor Judith Surkis Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract CIVILIZING SETTLERS: CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES AND THE COLONIAL STATE IN FRENCH ALGERIA, 1830-1914 by Kyle Francis Advisor: Professor David Troyansky This dissertation argues that between 1830 and 1914, with increasing intensity over time, French Catholic missionaries sowed divisions among the European population of French Algeria. The French government initially welcomed missionaries to cater to religiously devout Spanish, Italian, and Maltese settlers in Algeria and to foster their loyalty to the colonial state.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluating Sustainable Development by Composite Index: Evidence from French Departments
    sustainability Article Evaluating Sustainable Development by Composite Index: Evidence from French Departments Jean Bonnet 1 , Eva Coll-Martínez 2,* and Patricia Renou-Maissant 3 1 SEGGAT-CREM, Normandy University, 14032 Caen CEDEX, France; [email protected] 2 LEREPS, Sciences Po Toulouse, 31042 Toulouse CEDEX, France 3 EconomiX, Paris Nanterre University, 92001 Nanterre, France; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations, sustain- ability has been a key priority for European governments. While previous studies have investigated the associations between indicators of sustainable development, few have directly considered a multidimensional approach to assess and compare the performance of regions in terms of sustainable development. As such, a comprehensive assessment of regional sustainable performance is thus still needed. In this paper, the concept of sustainability relies on the construction of six composite indices (environment and natural resources, energy transition, sustainable mobility, economic dynamism, social cohesion and solidarity, and governance and citizenship) with the aim to provide an evaluation framework for empirically comparing the performance of the 96 metropolitan French Departments. Each dimension is explored by spatial autocorrelation analysis and Hierarchical Ascending Classifi- cation (HAC) to classify French Departments providing five different regional profiles of sustainable development. The findings make it possible to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the depart- ments in the implementation of sustainable development. This approach provides the bases for a systematic monitoring of sustainable development policies at the regional scale. Citation: Bonnet, J.; Coll-Martínez, Keywords: sustainable development; composite index; cluster analysis; spatial autocorrelation E.; Renou-Maissant, P.
    [Show full text]
  • Print This Article
    PA rtecipazione e CO nflitto * The Open Journal of Sociopolitical Studies http://siba-ese.unisalento.it/index.php/paco ISSN: 1972-7623 (print version) ISSN: 2035-6609 (electronic version) PACO, Issue 7(2) 2014: 294-313 DOI: 10.1285/i20356609v7i2p294 Published in July 15, 2014 Work licensed under a Creative Commons At- tribution-Non commercial-Share alike 3.0 Italian License RESEARCH ARTICLE WHO’S COUNTING? Institutional Autonomy and the Production of Activity Data for Dis- ability Policy in France (2006-2014) Pierre-Yves Baudot (UVSQ-CESDIP / CEE-Sciences Po) ABSTRACT: This article deals with the use of figures for public action piloting in disability policy. This parti- cular public action sector seems to lack piloting figures and comparable data for the monitoring of action in institutions in charge of granting social services for disabled persons, the Maisons départementales des personnes handicapées (MDPH). Based on fieldwork carried out since 2011 in this sector, this article re- veals that the production of specific activity figures requires resource mobilisation and precise tasks on the part of organisations. The production of activity data therefore can reflect the autonomy of these adminis- trative organisations. In limiting the capacity of these organisations specifically tasked with benefits attri- bution decisions, political authorities have also limited the autonomy they could in theory have claimed, and, in so doing, have limited their capacity to make these decisions independently of the political configu- rations and economic situations within which these benefits are recognised. KEYWORDS: rights, figures, institutional design, informatisation, statistics CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Pierre-Yves Baudot, email: [email protected] PACO, ISSN: 2035-6609 - Copyright © 2014 - University of Salento, SIBA: http://siba-ese.unisalento.it Partecipazione e conflitto, 7(2) 2014: 294-313, DOI: 10.1285/i20356609v7i2p294 1.
    [Show full text]
  • FOR the RECORDS Researching Alsace and Lorraine
    VOL. 11, NO. 2 — FEBRUARY 2018 FOR THE RECORDS Researching Alsace and Lorraine Publications and websites mentioned in this article are listed in the bibliography. Alsace and Lorraine are storied, often contested lands located in eastern France on its border with Germany and the Low Countries. Alsace (see map, right), at 3,196 square miles, is about one-quarter larger than the state of Connecticut1. Lorraine (see map, page 4), at 9,089 square miles, is just slightly smaller than the state of Vermont2. Along with Champaign-Ardenne, they form the modern region Grand Est whose regional capital and largest city is Strasbourg. The historic Alsace Region was the smallest in metro- politan France, made up of two departments, Bas-Rhin in the north and Haut-Rhin in the south. The region features a large plain about four times longer than it is wide and situated between the Vosges Mountains and the Rhine River. Prior to the Franco-Prussian War, Al- sace, specifically the Haut-Rhin, also included the Ter- ritoire de Belfort. When the Germans took control over the rest of Alsace, it became the smallest department in France, and was attached to Franche-Comté and is now part of Bourgogne- Franche-Comté. The historic Lorraine Region was much larger and con- sisted of four departments, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle, and Vosges. The territory included the histori- ALSACE cal Duchy of Lorraine, Barrois, the Three Bishoprics (Metz, Verdun, and Toul), and a number of small prin- Alsace includes the French départements of Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine) and Bas-Rhin (Lower Rhine) | Map cipalities.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter Four
    Decentralisation in France between Capacity and Constraint Alistair Cole (Cardiff University, Wales - UK) and Romain Pasquier (Institute of Political Studies, Rennes, France). Paper presented to the Political Studies Association’s Annual Conference, Cardiff 25-27 March 2013 This paper is an early output of the Leverhulme Trust’s International Network on Territorial Governance in western Europe: between Capacity and Convergence (IN - 2012-109). We thank the Trust for its support. 101 Based on vigorous cultural and political assimilationist policies (via the army, the education system and the national language), the Jacobin ideal of the “nation state”, according to which the nation is a product of the (democratic) state, has been seriously challenged these last decades (Pasquier 2012). The French state, like other European nation-states, has been confronted for some years by the dual pressure of European integration and the growing desire for autonomy on the part of sub-national political communities. As a result of the decentralisation laws of 1982-83, the evolution of EU policies and, more generally, the increasing globalization of the overall economic context, the central administrative organs of the French state have lost their monopoly on political initiative (Le Galès 1999). The French state is increasingly exposed to new economic, social and cultural logics. The growing power of local and regional authorities in the public policy process is one of the most striking features of the erosion of the Jacobin myth of the unity and indivisibility of the Republic. It provides the main object of analysis for this paper. The paper provides an overview of some of the salient features of France’s complex pattern of local and regional governance.
    [Show full text]