Public Management of Society: Rediscovering French Institutional Engineering in the European Context

Public Management of Society (PMS) is fundamental, because it deals with all activities of public authorities. This study about France, a unique laboratory for PMS for about 20 centuries, offers information to supplement Anglo-American literature. The Fifth Republic, some fields of public policy-making, international relations and the European Union are handled. PMS must be studied in co-disciplinary perspective. Rule of Law, Idea of Public Authority and Cultural Intelligence are crucial. There are universal ideas of good government, but each country has to find its own optimum with cultural intelligence. Practitioners must use cultural intelligence to be effective.