The Paradox of Centralisation: Examining France's Institutional Response to Organised Crime

• In Event: Crime, Science and Politics WG Panel 6: Policy Shifts and Institutional Challenges Across Europe

Abstract

This paper examines the paradoxical nature of France's institutional response to organised crime. While France's centralised governance structure should theoretically provide advantages in addressing complex criminal phenomena by coordinating investigations across jurisdictional and agency boundaries, my empirical research reveals significant discrepancies between this theoretical model and operational realities.

This paper draws on a year of multi-site ethnographic fieldwork with specialised law enforcement and judicial departments. Relying on this evidence, it demonstrates how France's approach to tackling organised crime is characterised by institutional fragmentation, inter-agency competition, and uncoordinated efforts despite its reputation for centralisation.

The paper addresses two fundamental questions: (1) the extent to which observed practices align with the theoretical organisational structure , and (2) how the current setup affects the government's ability to tackle organised crime effectively. It investigates challenges lnked to three features: multiple competing law enforcement agencies with distinct cultures and structures; divided authority between the judiciary and ministries; and a bureaucratic culture ill-suited to the flexibility required for complex investigations.

By combining institutional mapping with empirical observation, this research complements existing theoretical frameworks on policing systems and contributes to our understanding of how specialised departments operate in practice. The findings highlight how departmental autonomy, ineffective coordination mechanisms, and institutional duplication ultimately hinder France's capacity to address organised crime, offering important insights for both academic understanding and policy development in European criminal justice systems.

Author

• Emma Louise Blondes, London School of Economics and Political Science