ABSTRACT
France is a unified non-federal republic and has had a long tradition of centralism, with uniform law applied to the whole country. On 2 March 1982, President Mitterrand's government passed decentralization legislation that altered significantly the power relationships between the different territorial levels. Another component of the French legal system is the judiciary. Economic growth was faster in the 1950–73 periods than in any other period in recent French history. Unemployment has persisted because of structural factors, the rigidity of the labour market and a mediocre economic situation. The French have a long tradition of holding onto their money rather than investing it in the financial markets. The French mentality throughout the 1980s has evolved around four themes: relative standardization of social and political views, money, stress and individualism. Since 1947, a marked contrast between the dynamic Paris region and the rest of France has been observed.
