Who governs France: Macron’s 100 ministers

Who governs France:
Macron’s 100 ministers


Gaman-Golutvina O.V.,

MGIMO University, Moscow, Russia; Russian Political Science Association, Moscow, Russia; HSE University, Moscow, Russia; Comparative Politics Russia, Moscow, Russia, ogaman@mgimo.ru


elibrary_id: 250180 | ORCID: 0000-0002-2660-481X | RESEARCHER_ID: E-4046-2012

Solov’eva D.D.,

MGIMO University, Moscow, Russia, solovevadd@yandex.ru


Article received: 2023.09.12. Accepted: 2023.10.04


DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2023.06.04
EDN: JIWPGR


For citation:

Gaman-Golutvina O.V., Solov’eva D.D. Who governs France: Macron’s 100 ministers. – Polis. Political Studies. 2023. No. 6. https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2023.06.04. EDN: JIWPGR


The article was prepared in the framework of a research grant funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (Grant agreement No. 075-15-2022-327 from April 22, 2022).


Abstract

The article presents the results of a study on the evolution of the personel composition of the French government during the presidency of E. Macron in 2017-2023. After being elected to the country’s highest state office, E. Macron initiated a large-scale institutional political reform, which prompted the authors to consider the projection of institutional transformations on the rotation of the composition of ministers with a focus on their educational status. The chosen angle of the study is determined not only by the fact that information about managerial personnel characterizes the content of politics as a whole, but also by the special role educational training plays in the top managerial echelon in France, where the specialized segment of the education system closely overlaps with the system of recruiting the country’s political elite. Hypothetically, it was logical to expect that Macron’s economic reforms, organic to the liberalization megatrend of the global and many national economies, which has been relevant for the last four decades, be accompanied not only by an increase in the share of people from the corporate sector in the top management of France, but they would also entail changes in the way the political elite was recruited by, specifically by replacing public administrators with corporate management. The study undertaken by the authors did not confirm these assumptions. Although the double pantouflage is becoming more and more common in France, the proverbial “revolving door” rotates predominantly in one direction. Moreover, contrary to predictions, Macron has even reinforced France’s earlier practice in favor of greater openness, democracy, and empowering “social elevators” through the 2022 reform of the “forge” of managerial personnel, the National School of Administration. The 2017 French elections opened the way to ministerial seats for non-professional politicians and significantly renewed the ministerial corps, reducing the role of the “old parties” and often nullifying the experience of some politicians. However, the institutional rules for recruiting the country’s political elite, defined by the educational system and set by the key recruiting universities, remain relevant.

Keywords
France, E. Macron, political elites, public administration, education system, National School of Administration, Paris Institute of Political Science, pantouflage.


References

Bäck, H, Meier, H.E., Persson, T, & Fischer, J. (2012). European integration and prime ministerial power: a differential impact on cabinet reshuffles in Germany and Sweden. German Politics, 21(2), 184-208. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644008.2012.677032

Baylis, T. (2007). Embattled executives: prime ministerial weakness in East Central Europe. Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 40(1), 81-106. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.postcomstud.2006.12.007

Beckwith, K., & Franceschet, S. (2022). Gendering cabinet reshuffles in France and Spain. Government and Opposition, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1017/gov.2022.31

Birnbaum, P. (1994). Les sommets de l’Etat. Essai sur l’élite du pouvoir en France. Paris: Seuil.

Dewan, T., & Myatt, D. (2007). Scandal, protection, and recovery in the cabinet. American Political Science Review, 101(1), 63-77. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055407070025

Dowding, K., & Kang, W. (1998). Ministerial resignations 1945–97. Public Administration, 76(3), 411-429. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9299.00109

Duhamel, A. (2016). Les pathologies politiques francaises. French and European Publications Inc.

Eymeri-Douzans, J.-M. (2015). Chapitre 19 / Le ministre n’est plus une personne physique: Sur la collectivisation de la fonction ministérielle. In Le règne des entourages Cabinets et conseillers de l’exécutifPresses de Sciences Po (pp. 553-598). https://doi.org/10.3917/scpo.eymer.2015.01.0553

Fleming, T. (2021). Why change a winning team? Explaining post-election cabinet reshuffles in four Westminster democracies. Political Studies, 71(3), 935-955. https://doi.org/10.1177/00323217211049293

Gaman-Golutvina, O. (2018). Political elites in the USA under George W. Bush and Barack Obama: structure and international politics. Historical Social Research, 43(4), 141-163. https://doi.org/10.12759/hsr.43.2018.4.141-163

Helms, L. (2020). Performance and evaluation of political executives. In Andeweg R., Elgie R., Helms L., Kaarbo J., Müller-Rommel F. (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Political Executives (pp. 646-670). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Helms, L., & Vercesi, M. (2022). Cabinet reshuffles in parliamentary democracies: a typology and framework for comparative analysis. Government and Opposition, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1017/gov.2022.22

Kam, C. & Indriðason, I.H. (2005). The timing of cabinet reshuffles in five westminster parliamentary systems. Legislative Studies Quarterly, 30(3), 327–363. https://doi.org/10.3162/036298005X201581

Martínez-Gallardo C., Camerlo M. (2018). Portfolio allocation in the Americas. A Recap. In Camerlo, M., & Martínez-Gallardo, C. (Ed.). Government Formation and Minister Turnover in Presidential Cabinets: Comparative Analysis in the Americas (pp. 209-220). London: Routledge.

Miwa, H. (2018). Can reshuffles improve government popularity? Evidence from a ‘pooling the polls’ analysis. Public Opinion Quarterly, 82(2), 322-342. https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfy015.

Müller, W., & Philipp, W. (1991). Prime ministers and other government heads. In J. Blondel & J-L. Thiébault (Ed.), The Profession of Government Minister in Western Europe (pp. 31-43). Basingstoke: Macmillan.

Rose, R. (1971). The making of cabinet ministers. British Journal of Political Science, 1(4), 393-414. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123400009212

Rouban, L. (2011). Sociologie politique des deputés de la V-e République, 1958–2007. Les Cahiers du CEVIPOFno. 55.

Thiriez, F., Méaux, F., & Lagneau, C. (2020). Mission Haute Fonction Publique. Propositions. Paris: Service du Premier Ministre. 

 Chernega, V.N. (2021). French elites and the rule of Emmanuel Macron: change within continuity. Current Problems of Europe, 3, 164-187. (In Russ.)

Gaman-Golutvina, O.V, & Solov’eva, D.D. (2021). France’s new political elite against the old recruitment system. Polis. Political Studies, 6, 60-72. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2021.06.05

Lapina, N.Yu. (2015). The peculiarities of the French Political Elite. Power and Elites, 2, 93-136. (In Russ.)

Lapina, N.Yu. (2017). The political elite of modern France. Current Problems of Europe, 2, 105-126. (In Russ.)

Solov’eva, D.D. (2021). Sistema obrazovaniya kak kanal rekrutirovaniya politicheskoi elity v Velikobritanii i Frantsii [The education system as a channel for recruiting the political elite in Great Britain and France]. Dissertation for the Degree of Candidate of Political Sciences. Moscow: MGIMO University. (In Russ.)

Chernega, V.N. (2021). French elites and the rule of Emmanuel Macron: change within continuity. Current Problems of Europe, 3, 164-187. (In Russ.)

Gaman-Golutvina, O.V, & Solov’eva, D.D. (2021). France’s new political elite against the old recruitment system. Polis. Political Studies, 6, 60-72. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2021.06.05

Lapina, N.Yu. (2015). The peculiarities of the French Political Elite. Power and Elites, 2, 93-136. (In Russ.)

Lapina, N.Yu. (2017). The political elite of modern France. Current Problems of Europe, 2, 105-126. (In Russ.)

Solov’eva, D.D. (2021). Sistema obrazovaniya kak kanal rekrutirovaniya politicheskoi elity v Velikobritanii i Frantsii [The education system as a channel for recruiting the political elite in Great Britain and France]. Dissertation for the Degree of Candidate of Political Sciences. Moscow: MGIMO University. (In Russ.)

Content No. 6, 2023

See also:


Kudryavtsev A.K.,
France Impressing the World. – Polis. Political Studies. 2019. No6

Gaman-Golutvina O.V., Solov’eva D.D.,
France’s New Political Elite Against the Old Recruitment System. – Polis. Political Studies. 2021. No6

Round Table of the «Polis» Journal, Vorozheykina T.Ye., Degtyarev Andrey Alekseevich, Kapustin B.G., Polyakov L.V.,
On a Reform in Teaching Political Sciences within the Higher-Educational System of Russian Federation. – Polis. Political Studies. 2001. No1

Sulima I.I.,
The Educational System as Instrument for the Estimation of Post-Soviet Reforms. – Polis. Political Studies. 2001. No2

Shebanova M.A.,
International bureaucracy as the stratum of transnational political elites. – Polis. Political Studies. 2012. No1

 

   

Introducing an article



Polis. Political Studies
2 2018


Litvak N.V.
Modern Diplomatic Service as a Reflexive Institution

 The article text
 

Archive

   2024      2023      2022      2021   
   2020      2019      2018      2017      2016   
   2015      2014      2013      2012      2011   
   2010      2009      2008      2007      2006   
   2005      2004      2003      2002      2001   
   2000      1999      1998      1997      1996   
   1995      1994      1993      1992      1991