Building Autonomy Under Constraint

Abstract

Contemporary reforms of public action show ambivalent movements of tightening and loosening of central state control. We study their consequences in the implementation of the French national park reform of 2006. We focus our analysis on the specific daily work of park directors, who are civil servants in charge of implementing reforms in a context of tightened central controls in some areas and negotiation and adaptation of central directives to local configurations on other issues. The concept of middle management allows us to characterize their role, to highlight the tensions which they face, their practices and the way they can build their autonomy as reformers in a context with multiple constraints.

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