Public Administration and Political System in France: The Central Role of the State, Administration and Law

Abstract

U radu je prikazan francuski upravno-politički sustav, koji po tradicionalnom poimanju počiva na središnjoj ulozi države koja se oslanja na jak upravni aparat kojim dominiraju pravne vrijednosti. Osnovne značajke francuskog upravno- političkog sustava koje se mogu derivirati iz navedene koncepcije su centralizacija, top-down pristup, gusta mreža državnih funkcionara i tijela na teritoriju, jednakost i uniformnost upravnih struktura, visoka profesionalnost upravnog osoblja, jaka socijalna država, nacionalizacija i dirigisme. U radu su kroz sedam poglavlja u kojima su obrađeni različiti aspekti francuskog upravno-političkog sustava opisane osnovne institucije državne i lokalne vlasti, način njihovog funkcioniranja i novi razvojni trendovi koji upućuju na to da se Francuska, pod utjecajem globalnih trendova i suvremenih upravnih doktrina, pomalo odmiče od tradicionalnog modela javnog upravljanja, jačajući lokalnu samoupravu i promovirajući ekonomske vrijednosti u djelovanju javne uprave.The paper deals with French political-administrative system, which is traditionally perceived to be resting on the central role of the state that relies on strong administrative system that is dominated by legal values. The main characteristics of the French political-administrative system that could be derived from this conception are centralization, top-down approach, dense network of state functionaries and bodies throughout the territory, uniformity of administrative structures, high professionalism of public servants, strong social state, nationalization, and dirigisme. The paper consists of seven chapters that, by nalysing different aspects of political-administrative system, describe state and local institutions, their functioning and new developmental trends suggesting that, because of global trends and contemporary administrative doctrines, France is moving away from the traditional model of public government by strengthening local self-government and promoting economic values in public administration. The paper explains the historical development of French administration, its political system, central and local administration, public services, civil servants’ system, and the conducted reforms