Tag: France

A novel initiative in France and Switzerland

January 21, 2019

Editor’s note: The following is a partial paraphrase in English of an article* which appeared in French in Le Monde on December 19. The citizen’s ballot or referendum initiative (référendum d’initiative citoyenne, or RIC) has become one of the principal revindications of the yellow vest (gilet jaune) movement in France. A well known feature in … More A novel initiative in France and Switzerland

Design digest: elections in France, 2017

May 30, 2017

The relationship between the legislative and executive branches is an important element in the design of a political system. Witness France, where voters elected a new President, the independent Emmanuel Macron, in two rounds of voting in April-May 2017. France is a unitary republic with a bicameral legislature and a fairly unique, elaborately interconnected “semi-presidential” … More Design digest: elections in France, 2017