Genesis and current state of interest groups system in France

The article is dedicated to development and current state of the interest groups system in France. The author shows that the development of the French interest groups system occurred under the influence of historical, cultural, social and institutional factors. For comparative researchers who analyze interest groups in different countries France represents a special case since it cannot be classified as either corporatist or pluralistic. Although initially the French model was closer to corporatism, the trade unions — an essential element of classical corporatist systems — always played much smaller role. In addition, in France there is a tradition of close interaction between elites, which directly affects the interest groups system. The most influential groups are those that enjoy privileged access to government officials which allows us to talk about sectoral corporatism. At the same time, pluralistic tendencies can be traced in the development of the French interest groups system. However, in France, the pluralization of the interest groups system is associated not with the development of market relations but with the fragmented structure of state power, in which the decision-making process is concentrated in pluralistic and at the same time elitist communities. The author concludes that the peculiarities of the development of the political system and political culture in France led to the existence of such a system of interest groups that combines both corporate and pluralistic features, but the logic of their interaction with the government is based on the principle of inter-elite interaction.

interest groups, system of interest groups, corporatism, neo-corporatism, pluralism, political elites, French politics

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