Cultural Decentralization : a French Decentralization Model

Abstract

The debate on centralization ofr decentralization is an old one in France. Settled by Napoleon I, relaunched by General De gaulle in 1960, renewed by Francois Mitterrand in 1982 and recently backed up by the <<Raffarin decentralisation>>, it can be seen that France is lavish in policies in this domain.. Although this past decade has witnessed a strong financial and institutional upsurge, stimulated both by the resoluteness of the central power and by growing dynamism of regional communities, fundamental questions still remain unanswered; Can the definition of general interest and standards be entrusted to local authorities? How can one build a real balance of power between central and peripheral organization; generally according to France history how can one build a Girondist State in a Jacobin manner? The objectives of this paper are to analyze through the financial aspect of the cultural sector the complex relations that bind the centre and the periphery in France, to highlight the reality of the French decentralization policies mainly subjected by the "1982 Decentralization laws."; By observing the means devoted to the cultural sector between 1980 and 1990 we will take a focus on the political game of power sharing between the central power and the regional communities.