Political Leadership in a Global Age: The Experiences of France and Norway

Responses to globalization in politics and governance at national, regional and local levels of government in France and Norway are explored in this study. France and Norway are European contrasts in most respects: the former is a central force in European integration, the latter is a sceptical outsider, one represents a Great Power tradition, the other small state internationalism. Both are highly developed welfare states, however, and both feel that globalization is posing a threat to existing welfare arrangements. What are the similarities and differences between the two countries with regard to the way the globalization debate is framed? Does globalization drive a convergence of governance and leadership? The latter issue is discussed against a background of updated information on the development of politics across levels of government.