5.4 The organisation of the French parliament in the Fifth Republic -- 5.5 Parliament in the Fifth Republic: an emasculated legislature? -- 5.6 Political dynamics and the operation of parliament -- 5.7 The judicialisation of French politics? -- 5.8 Concluding remarks -- 6 Reforming the state -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 The French civil service: characteristics, context and culture -- 6.3 Reforming the French state: the public-service narrative -- 6.4 Reforming the French state: the state-productivity narrative and its limits -- 6.5 The French state today: continuity, conflict, cohesion -- 6.6 Concluding comments -- 7 A decentralised republic in a unitary state? Local and regional government -- 7.1 Introduction -- 7.2 From the French model of territorial administration to the decentralised republic -- 7.3 Actors and institutions of territorial governance -- 7.4 Dimensions and dilemmas of territorial governance -- 7.5 Concluding remarks -- Part III Political forces and representation -- 8 The French party system: change and understanding change -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.2 The French party system before 1981 -- 8.3 The changing French party system -- 8.4 Cohesion and continuity of the French party system -- 8.5 Concluding remarks -- 9 French parties today -- 9.1 Introduction -- 9.2 The Republicans and their allies -- 9.3 Socialists, Communists and Greens -- 9.4 The Front National -- 9.5 Concluding remarks -- 10 The representation of interests -- 10.1 Introduction -- 10.2 Economic interest groups -- 10.3 Social movements old and new -- 10.4 Groups and the French political system -- 10.5 Concluding remarks -- Part IV Reshaping modern France -- 11 Society, citizenship and welfare -- 11.1 Introduction -- 11.2 The evolution of French society: social consensus or social fracture? -- 11.3 The economy and economic governance