The Prefect In His Département

The basic work of the Prefects, in theory and in practice, has remained the administration of the départements, despite the numerous regional reforms of the Fifth Republic. These reforms, as we have seen, were limited in scope and involved relatively few changes in the day-to-day activities of most Prefects. Most prefectoral time and energy is spent on departmental questions. At the departmental level, too, the many incremental reforms have had rather disappointing results. Whilst it is true that administrative structures have been remodelled, formal prefectoral powers increased and ‘economic development’ made the leitmotif of all prefectoral action, in practice the pattern of work – and the effective influence – of the Prefects have changed very little.