Claire DEDIEU's thesis defense

Claire DEDIEU defended her thesis on Tuesday November 19 at 2pm at the University of Montpellier's Faculty of Law and Political Science (Salle des Actes, Building 1).

Thesis title

When the State withdraws. The abolition of public engineering in the water sector.

Summary: For many years, engineers and technicians from the French Ministry of Agriculture shaped the drinking water supply and sanitation policies of local authorities and their associations. These civil servants intervened within the framework of missions described as "public engineering". In 2008, in the context of the General Review of Public Policies (RGPP), this mission was abolished. The aim of this thesis is to understand what is concretely at stake in this reform. Based on a survey carried out in the departments of Hérault, Vaucluse and Lozère, this work analyzes the recompositions of the State following the abolition of public engineering, both internally and in its relations with private engineering players and local authorities. The originality of this thesis lies in its discussion of theories that present state reforms as a means for the state to redeploy itself without withdrawing. Using the case of water, it encourages us to think of contemporary reforms in a different way, as moments when the state is also sometimes likely to withdraw. It shows the inconsistencies and paradoxes to which this withdrawal of the state gives rise. Finally, it proposes analytical tools adapted to this alternative approach to transformations in public action.

Keywords: State; reform; withdrawal; water policies; public engineering; France.

Jury members :

Sylvain BARONE, Research Fellow Irstea, G-EAU (thesis co-supervisor)
Anne-Cécile DOUILLET, Professor of Political Science, University of Lille (Rapporteur)
Claire DUPUY, Professor of Comparative Politics, Université catholique de Louvain (Examiner)
Christine MUSSELIN, CNRS research director, CSO (Examiner)
Emmanuel NÉGRIER, CNRS research director, CEPEL (Thesis director)
François-Mathieu POUPEAU, CNRS research fellow, LATTS (Rapporteur)