This study departs from traditional interpretations of cohabitation in French politics, which suggest French institutions are capable of coping when the President and Prime Minister originate from different political parties. Instead, it offers the opposite view that cohabitation leads to partisan conflict and inertia in the policy-making process.
'This original analysis provides new insights into the policy process under divided government, or cohabitation, in France. With a combination of institutional analysis, formal logic, and important newly collected empirical evidence, Lazardeux provides an important cautionary tale about the functioning of the core institutions of the Fifth Republic.'
Frank R. Baumgartner, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
Frank R. Baumgartner, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA