Claire DEDIEU's Thesis Defense

Claire DEDIEU defended her dissertation on Tuesday, November 19, at 2:00 p.m. at the University of Montpellier’s School of Law and Political Science (Salle des Actes, Building 1).

Thesis Title

When the Government Steps Back: The Elimination of Public Engineering in the Water Sector.

Abstract: For a long time, engineers and technicians at the Ministry of Agriculture shaped drinking water supply and sanitation policies for municipalities and their associations. These civil servants carried out their work as part of missions classified as “public engineering.” In 2008, as part of the General Review of Public Policies (RGPP), this mission was eliminated. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand the practical implications of this reform. Drawing on a study conducted in the departments of Hérault, Vaucluse, and Lozère, this work analyzes the restructuring of the state following the elimination of public engineering, both internally and in its relations with private engineering firms and local governments. The originality of this dissertation lies in its critique of theories that present state reforms as a means for the state to redeploy itself without withdrawing. Using the water sector as a case study, it encourages a different way of thinking about contemporary reforms—as moments when the state is also sometimes likely to withdraw. It highlights the inconsistencies and paradoxes resulting from this state withdrawal. Finally, it proposes analytical tools tailored to this alternative approach to the transformations of public action.

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

Members of the jury:

Sylvain BARONE, Research Fellow at Irstea, G-EAU (co-advisor for the dissertation)
Anne-Cécile DOUILLET, Professor of Political Science, University of Lille (Reviewer)
Claire DUPUY, Professor of Comparative Politics, Catholic University of Louvain (Examiner)
Christine MUSSELIN, CNRS Research Director, CSO (Examiner)
Emmanuel NÉGRIER, CNRS Research Director, CEPEL (Thesis Advisor)
François-Mathieu POUPEAU, CNRS Research Fellow, LATTS (Reviewer)