A step further towards a neoliberal regionalism: Creating larger regions in contemporary France

Abstract

This article aims to show how the 2014 reform of the French regional map is part of a process neoliberalising the territories of public action. Contrary to a commonly accepted approximation, ‘neoliberalism’ is not understood here as the apology of laissez faire but rather as a rationality aimed at bringing the framework of public action in line with the norms of economic competition, as per the original meaning of the term. While the idea of increasing the size and decreasing the number of French regions dates back several decades, its implementation was facilitated by the crisis in public finances that began in 2009. By enacting this reform, the socialist government in power turned its back on several of the objectives ascribed to decentralisation by the reformist left wing.