Grands corps de l'État

The grands corps de l'État (Grand Corps of the [French] State) are a feature of the French state as envisaged in the reforms of Jean-Baptiste Colbert.[1] Some of these grands corps date back to the reign of Louis XV, in the 18th century, but most originated or were given their modern form during the reign of Napoleon.[2]

The exact list of grands corps de l'État is debatable, mainly because there is disagreement about whether a particular corps is grand enough to be counted. However, Who's Who in France gives the following list:[3] the ingénieurs des mines, the ingénieurs des ponts, the administrateurs de l'INSEE, the ingénieurs de l'armement, the conseillers d'État, the Cour des comptes and the inspecteurs des finances.

In France, the members of these grand corps have great importance in the government administration, since many executive positions are held by them. Also many CEOs of great French companies come straight out of these Grand Corps.

Administrative "grands corps" (staffed from the École nationale d'administration)

The administrative grands corps mainly recruit graduates of the École nationale d'administration (ENA). They are more closely connected with politics than the technical grands corps (listed below) are. Georges Pompidou was member of the Conseil d'État, François Hollande and Jacques Chirac were both members of the Cour des comptes, and Emmanuel Macron, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and Michel Rocard were both members of the Inspection des finances.

Technical "grands corps" (staffed from the École polytechnique and ENS)

The technical grands corps mainly recruit (more than 2/3 by decree) from among graduates of the École polytechnique. Their ranks are also open to alumni of the Écoles normales supérieures, or other schools such as École des Ponts and École des Mines.

Three other technical "grands corps" no longer function:

Criticism of the "grands corps"

The system of grands corps has been criticised from within its own ranks as well as from outside.[4] In January 2009 a report on the future of the technical grands corps was sent to the Prime Minister.[5]

See also

References
  1. Presses de Sciences Po, Marie-Christine Kessler, Les grands corps de l'État, En France, l'État s'est édifié autour d'un certain nombre d'institutions fondamentales : le Conseil d'État, l'Inspection des finances, la Cour des comptes, le corps diplomatique, le corps préfectoral, les Mines et les Ponts et chaussées
  2. Archives de France, 2004, Napoléon et la construction des grands corps de l'État, Napoléon Bonaparte est bien à l’origine du Conseil d’État, de la Cour de cassation et de la Cour des comptes, mais il est aussi, si l’on entend donner une acception large à ce terme, le père du corps préfectoral, de l’inspection des finances, de même qu’il réorganise les corps des mines et des ponts et chaussées
  3. Who's Who in France, 2012, Les grands corps de l'État, Les corps techniques regroupent les ingénieurs des ponts, des eaux et des forêts, les ingénieurs des mines, les administrateurs de l’INSEE et les ingénieurs de l’armement. Pour les grands corps administratifs, on distingue les membres du Conseil d’État, les magistrats de la Cour des comptes et les inspecteurs des finances.
  4. New York Times, 15/12/2010, Patrick Mehr (X-Mines), "France's Golden Handcuffs": "The reason for pessimism about France’s future is its stifling and antiquated governmental control of every aspect of entrepreneurial life."
  5. Rapport Canepa–Folz au Premier Ministre sur l’avenir des corps d’ingénieurs de l’État, janvier 2009
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