DEVOLUTION AND ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT IN FRANCE

The role of the French regions in economic intervention since the dece ntralisation reforms of the 1980s has been considerably more significa nt than recent appraisals have suggested. The diversity in the strateg ies adopted from one region to another indicates an increased capacity to shape policy initiatives according to their own priorities. The en hancement of regional autonomy is examined in the case of Brittany, wh ere the development of an original pattern of local authority relation s in the sphere of economic intervention has helped to overcome some o f the obstacles to the effective functioning of the system instituted by the decentralisation programme.