Fr 139 Government & Politics II
Reading Questions
Nadeau & Barlow, Ch. 11 (p. 143-159) & Ch. 4 (p. 47-59)

Ch. 11

1.  What's one reason for the "dog dirt" problem in Paris?

2.  Why is a distrust of local power in Paris engrained in the French?

3.  What are the three levels of local administration? 

4.  What does the mayor of a commune do?

5.  Why can a tiny commune have its own police force?

6.  What is the "préfet" or prefect?

7.  In what ways does the centralized government both help and hinder an overseas department like Guadeloupe?

8.  Why do prefects and police never appointed to serve in their home towns or regions?

Ch. 4

9.  How do Nadeau & Barlow explain the concept of "grandeur"?

10.  What is the ENA?

11.  What example of "theater policing" do the authors discuss as an example of the French love of displaying power?

12.  What privileges do elite civil servants enjoy?

13.  Explain the "cumul des mandats."

14.  What are the advantages and disadvantages of the "cumul"?

15.  What recent law has tried to address the disparity between numbers of men and women holding political offices in France?