"The Government and Politics of France provides a clear and comprehensible account of the contemporary French political system. Anne Stevens explains the historical continuities - and discontinuities - which have shaped the pattern of French politics, and describes the network of French Institutions, at national and local level, with a lively sense of how political action happens, where power is located and how, and within what constraints, it is used. The book provides lucid answers to such frequently asked questions as the relationship between the French President and Prime Minister, the role and powers of French mayors, and the performance, significance and respective prospects of the Community Party, Le Pen's National Front and the Ecologists. Special attention is given to the very particular role of pressure groups and direct action in French society, with extended coverage of France's place and role within the European Union and its implications for the political process in France." "Retaining the first edition's strong emphasis on clarity, accessibility and explanation, the book is genuinely introductory, assuming no prior knowledge, but also thorough, authoritative and wide-ranging. The second edition has been fully updated to cover the considerable institutional and political changes during Mitterrand's second period of 'cohabitation' and under the Chirac Presidency."--BOOK JACKET.