Deconcentration Versus Decentralisation of Administration in France: A Centre-Periphery Dilemma (Dialogue‪)‬

The debate in France concerning decentralisation--the transfer of power and authority to elected bodies in the provinces--and deconcentration--the displacement towards the provinces of administrative units and central powers--goes back over close to two centuries. For the last forty years, the Paris region has been the object of restrictive control measures over the location of activities at the same time as the central administration has tried to use the administrative apparatus to demonstrate by example how decision centres can be displaced towards the provinces. The public sector jobs that have been displaced to the provinces have sometimes presented some real challenges for the municipalities concerned, partly because of their direct demographic impacts but also because of their economic spin-off effects. It has also been the case that these representatives of the central state have developed locally a veritable autonomy in terms of decisions that has been recognised for its effectiveness. Patterns of change in Europe on this question show a tremendous variety of approaches and their harmonisation has now become a major challenge. Les debats en France concernant la decentralisation--le transfert des pouvoirs et de l'autorite a des corps elus en Province--ou concernant la deconcentration--le deplacement en Province d'entites administratives et d'autorites centrales--datent de pres de 2 siecles. La region de Paris a fait l'objet depuis quarante annees d'un controle restrictif des implantations d'activites dans le meme temps ou l'administration centrale tentait d'utiliser l'appareil administratif pour montrer l'exemple du deplacement des centres de decision vers la Province. Ces emplois publics deplaces en Province sont devenus quelquefois des enjeux pour les municipalites a la fois pour leurs impacts demographiques directs mais encore pour leurs effets d'entrainement economiques. Il arrive aussi que ces representants de l'administration centrale developpent localement une veritable autonomie de decision correlative d'une efficacite reconnue. Les evolutions europeennes sur cette question montre une grande variete d'approches et leur harmonisation est maintenant un enjeu central.