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Politics Notes Politics - Comparative Politics - Semi-Presidentialism Notes

Book Notes Government And Politics Of France (Knapp & Wright) Notes

Updated Book Notes Government And Politics Of France (Knapp & Wright) Notes

Politics - Comparative Politics - Semi-Presidentialism Notes

Politics - Comparative Politics - Semi-Presidentialism

Approximately 30 pages

Notes on semi-presidentialism as a form of government, with specific focus on division of power between the president and parliament

Contains:
- Notes on Elgie's extensive studies of semi-presidentialism
- Case study notes on France under a semi-presidential form of government
- An essay (and essay plan) on the outcomes from semi-presidentialism under cohabitation and non-cohabitation

Author is currently studying for Finals at Somerville College, Oxford, and interned for Credit Suisse. Achieved...

The following is a more accessible plain text extract of the PDF sample above, taken from our Politics - Comparative Politics - Semi-Presidentialism Notes. Due to the challenges of extracting text from PDFs, it will have odd formatting:

Chapter 3

  • de Gaulle

    • Desire for national independence a product of complete reliance on British and American allies for French liberation (p.68)

    • Also served domestic end – diversion from internal squabble (p.68)

    • Not a vulgar dictator “as shown by the readiness, indeed brusqueness, with which de Gaulle left office twice2 (p.68)

      • “Even at his final defeat, he was still backed by a higher percentage of the voters than have supported any British prime minister since the war2 (p.68)

  • Pompidou

    • Never even held elective office before becoming Prime Minister in 1962, but forged a Gaullist majority to win three elections (p.69)

    • Saw “material prosperity as the key to social stability” (p.70), more orthodox right-wing that de Gaulle but still with a focus of spreading the benefits of the capitalist growth to every household

  • Giscard

    • “Record is a contrast between early reformism and late conservatism” (p.71)

      • Societal reforms of first year and authoritarian police and criminal evidence legislation in the last

      • Suffered less favourable economic conditions (oil shocks, see parallel with other leaders: Callaghan 1979, Carter, 1980)

      • Elected on a reform programme but his majority support in the National Assembly was based on strict right-wing politics

        • “Condemned to follow the increasingly conservative instincts of a cantankerous majority” (p.71)

  • Conclusion

    • “Each president has sought to, as put by Mitterand and Thucydides, ‘go to the limits of his power’ but every Presidency to date has ended in public disenchantment or physical diminution” (p.84)

    • Presidents steadily less successful in achieving their goals due to increased constraints:

      • Public opinion less inclined to be led from the front

      • Constraints of European polity

      • Globalisation

      • Sharing the mantle of national leadership under cohabitation

Chapter 4

  • Allocation of political resources between president and prime minister

    • “Political legitimacy is first and foremost a presidential resource” (p.96)

      • Also he is always the national leader

        • Chirac’s response to 9/11 and the Kosovo war in 1999 despite cohabitation

        • Routine representation at major summits – G8, European Council

      • Prime Minister is the president’s appointment with no obligation to have been the subject to any election

        • “Changes under cohabitation with the prime minister claiming a fresher electoral mandate than the sitting president” (p.96)

    • Ability to communicate with the public directly or via the media

      • “Presidents use the media to remind the French of who they are, prime ministers set out to acquire presidential stature through their appearances” (p.97)

        • Chirac post-World Cup success, Mitterrand’s interviews with Yves Mourousi at Elysee garden parties on Bastille Day

    • Bring personal networks to their offices

      • Necessary to win presidential elections, does not necessarily mean that Prime Ministers are lacking but they can be left short

        • Chaban-Delmas: resistance links, rugby international, president of the National Assembly and mayor of Bordeaux (p.98)

        • Cresson: Indifferent to building networks once appointed to Matignon

    • Patronage of the office

      • Jointly wield substantive power in this area through Article 8 of the Constitution, to government itself, high ranking posts in the military, civil service and public sector

      • “Prime Ministers, outside cohabitation, have had a secondary but far from negligible role” (p.98)

      • Also extends to budgetary benefits which may make or break rising ministers and...

Buy the full version of these notes or essay plans and more in our Politics - Comparative Politics - Semi-Presidentialism Notes.