New Working Paper in the IDEAGOV Working Paper Series

IDEAGOV is pleased to announce the publication of a new Working Paper entitled “Asymmetric Decentralization in France: A Municipal-Centered Exception,” authored by Guy Gilbert (ENS Paris-Saclay), Thierry Madiès (University of Fribourg) and Sonia Paty (University of Lyon 2, GATE Lyon Saint-Etienne).

The paper analyzes asymmetric decentralization through the specific case of France, a unitary state that has developed distinctive forms of territorial asymmetry. Unlike cases where asymmetry primarily responds to identity-based or regional claims, the French model—at least in mainland France—has centered asymmetry on addressing the challenges posed by extreme municipal fragmentation.

The study shows that successive decentralization reforms in France have prompted municipalities to form intermunicipal communities, or “municipal blocs,” which, though not full local governments, have gained specific competences, taxation powers, and state transfers, generating horizontal and vertical asymmetries. The authors highlight that, in the French case, this asymmetry primarily serves a functionalist purpose—enhancing the efficiency of decentralized public action—rather than promoting local democratic autonomy, illustrating how asymmetric institutional design can support pragmatic governance within a formally unitary system.

📄 The Working Paper is available at:https://www.ideagov.eu/wp