The French Political System - Essay Example

The government provides protection to all the employees hence suppressing the competitive spirit required for growth. Furthermore, the system makes it highly difficult for a young talented worker to climb the corporate ladder unless he has the required experience and is part of the hierarchy. The political framework is semi-presidential i.e. both the prime minister and president show involvement in the workings of the system.

OpportunitiesThe reason why this democracy stands out is its origination as a social democracy. The people are allowed to vote for their representatives while also being able to enjoy economic equality. Moreover, the French political system is associated with a noticeable economic advantage. Since the government controls all the businesses, i.e. all businesses have been nationalized, the working class gains in the form of cheaper healthcare and other benefits. To a certain extent, this form of governance also allows the business to consider the overall progress of the society thereby encouraging them to incorporate the best business practices that are going to benefit the larger population.

For some businesses, higher investments and expansion can serve as a motivation as more injection into the economy will eventually lead to an improved living standard for everyone. ThreatsHowever what may at times, threaten the peaceful functioning of the political structure is that the prime minister and president can belong to different political parties. A clash of ideas and beliefs may hinder the smooth running of the democracy. Furthermore, since the President emerges as the most powerful, it may lead to misuse of powers.

The President is the Head of State, controls the armed forces, appoints the prime minister, and can dissolve the National Assembly thus concentrating most powers to the President. This supreme authority to the President can lead to authoritarianism and monopolization of powers. The prime minister on the other hand is the Head of the Government who outlines the duties of the ministers and manages the day-to-day affairs of the country. However, the President when deciding the 15 council ministers is not bound to take the prime minister's opinion which again gives the president tremendous powers as his selection may not be based on merit.

Despite the fact that all decisions need the approval of the prime minister as well, the President has a wide range of responsibilities and authority. The fact that the ministerial posts do not have to be allotted to elected representatives provides an opportunity for people from different backgrounds to take up these positions. For instance, an economist who is given the ministerial position will better understand the economy and the needs of the common man than an elected representative who has no connection with the common man whatsoever.

Therefore the French political system like any other is not faultless. It has its own drawbacks but is able to effectively counter these with its ground strengths making it one of the successful democracies of the world.