The effectiveness of french immigration policy under president Nicolas Sarkozy

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the effectiveness of French immigration policy during President Nicolas Sarkozy's single term (2007-2012). Following a recent proposal, this article will explore the level of congruence between French legislator's objectives on immigration policy and the remaining stages of the policy process. Notwithstanding President Sarkozy's ambitious agenda, a persistent gap between restrictive objectives and the subsequent liberal outcomes from policy implementation has been detected by immigration studies. The analysis will suggest that French immigration policy attained a variable level of policy effectiveness throughout President Sarkozy's term. This investigation emphasises that policy inputs can be driven by political considerations involving the mobilisation of sections of the electorate in spite of the diminished feasibility of the proposals. Furthermore, the strong effects exercised by endogenous and exogenous political factors over President Sarkozy's plans will be highlighted in this article, in particular the agency of 'domestic veto players'.