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This book fills a gap in the literature on economic liberalism in France as it strives to resolve a paradox. How do we reconcile the fact that while France has been among the most fertile of soils for the liberal intellectual tradition, the theoretical ideas it has produced has little impact on its own public debate and public policies? Using a wide range of data on public policies, it demonstrates that neo-liberal thought has had far less influence in France than in other European nations during the period from 1974 to 2012. The failure of neo-liberalism to propagate in public policies France is shown to be mainly due to the strong resistance of public opinion towards it. In addition, the s...
This book argues that the defeat of the main French Centre Right party in the 2017 presidential and legislative elections, and its subsequent disintegration, were the result of a failure to respond effectively to the challenges posed by a continuing realignment of the party system. By the start of the Hollande presidency, many sections of the electorate had lost faith in the traditional parties of government and the ideologies which they represented and were adopting a more individualist approach to politics. The Left/Right divide, which had determined relations between parties since the creation of the Fifth Republic in 1958, gave way to a new arrangement, based on three axes – identity, liberal economics and Europe. These policy areas would provoke major differences of opinion among supporters of the Centre Right, and lead a significant number of them to abandon Les Républicains, which was a major factor in the election of Emmanuel Macron.
This book examines and explains the Center-Left’s political decline since 2008, whilst analyzing the factors that account for its sagging electoral and popular support, losing voters both to the Far-Left, the Far-Right, and abstentions. Focusing on the era since the 2008 financial crisis in particular, while also charting the historical genealogy that led to the current impasse, the book examines how, when and why the collapse of Europe’s Center-Left occurred. Moving beyond existing and slightly dated accounts, the contributors explore why Social Democrats lack compelling answers to pressing current policy challenges. Faced with a decline in its core clientele, namely blue-collar workers...
In the globalized, postmodern world, the production of encounters and crashes between dissimilar cultures, ways of life, and systems of values has drastically increased in number. More and more frequently, they originate harsh conflicts, exhibiting the existence of alternative and apparently incompatible ways of living and thinking – culturally, religiously, economically and politically speaking. In this context, words as tolerance and intolerance have been put at the heart of the political debate. However, what is the real meaning of these political concepts? Why did they originate and how did the developed over time? Do they still represent a valid resource for comprehending our current ...
Recent acts of terrorism in Britain and Europe and the events of 9/11 in the United States have greatly influenced immigration, security, and integration policies in these countries. Yet many of the current practices surrounding these issues were developed decades ago, and are ill-suited to the dynamics of today's global economies and immigration patterns. At the core of much policy debate is the inherent paradox whereby immigrant populations are frequently perceived as posing a potential security threat yet bolster economies by providing an inexpensive workforce. Strict attention to border controls and immigration quotas has diverted focus away from perhaps the most significant dilemma: the...
Dating back millennia, antisemitism has been called "the longest hatred." Thought to be vanquished after the horrors of the Holocaust, in recent decades it has once again become a disturbing presence in many parts of the world. Resurgent Antisemitism presents original research that elucidates the social, intellectual, and ideological roots of the "new" antisemitism and the place it has come to occupy in the public sphere. By exploring the sources, goals, and consequences of today's antisemitism and its relationship to the past, the book contributes to an understanding of this phenomenon that may help diminish its appeal and mitigate its more harmful effects.
What has led to the recent revival of the extreme right in Western democracies such as France and Australia, and what impact has their success had on mainstream politics? What shift has taken place in recent times as ideas and groups that once were considered marginal and undemocratic have come to play an important part in mainstream politics? This book addresses these key questions by examining the resurgence of the extreme right in France and Australia and explores the history of right-wing groups and their relationship with and impact on mainstream politics. This compelling study on the rise of right-wing parties in two countries with different histories but similar experiences of how mai...
Focusing on the interplay between individual and institutions, The French Polity is the most current and comprehensive text for introducing students to the changing and enduring characteristics of the French political scene. It combines historical perspective and contextual information on French society to clearly explain the evolution and health of this country, political institutions, process, and culture. Throughout, William Safran, a leading area studies expert, goes beyond description to offer original analyses of French politics.
From 2015, Europe was hit by a new wave of terrorist attacks, coordinated or supported by an international Islamist organization (ISIS) but sometimes also perpetrated by citizens of the targeted country: the attacks on Paris, Brussels, London, Manchester, Nice and Barcelona probably attracted most attention but the most dramatic were perpetrated in Paris, in January and November 2015. These events shook the foundations of French society not only because of their magnitude but also because of the symbolic nature of the targets. Whilst in January, the targets were carefully selected as emblematic of France (the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, the police forces, the Jewish community) and of European liberal values (journalists and cartoonists), in November the victims ordinary people enjoying music, sports and restaurants. The book offers a unique interdisciplinary investigation into the complex responses of French society: from the individual level (survivors of the Bataclan attack, emotional citizens paying homage to the victims, French Muslims) to the meso level of civic association and web communities, and the macro level of the State and public opinion.