Public Administration in France

Originally published in 1964, this book was an important addition to the growing field of comparative government and administration. This book covers the organisation of the French cabinet, the structure and functions of government departments and of local authorities, the civil service, the police, the judiciary and public enterprise. There are also chapters on economic planning, the administration of social services and of the educational system. The book explains the spirit as well as the mechanism of the French administrative system, the principles that underly it and the wider background against which it is set

Jean Fernand Pierre Blondel, political scientist, was born in France and educated at Sciences Po and Oxford Universities. He was one of the founding fathers of modern political science and comparative politics, firstly European then latterly globally He founded the political science department at Essex university in 1964, and taught there until 1984 when he went to the European University Institute in Florence, before becoming Emeritus Professor at Siena university. His greatest achievement was to have founded the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR ), for students and professors all over Europe to meet up and share research projects He was awarded the prestigious Skytte prize in Sweden, and eight honorary doctorates. He died in December 2022.