François-Mathieu Poupeau
Electricity and Local Authorities in France (1880-1980) Another History of Public Service,
Brussels Peter Lang, 2017, 446 p.
Electricity, a Jacobin public service? Contrary to popular belief, this book shows the role played by local authorities in building what became a pillar of the welfare state in France in the 20th century. This influence, which has been little discussed in historiography, must be viewed in the context of the origins of the electricity sector: a socio-technical system rooted and organized at the municipal level. This "matrix" has never been erased and has had a lasting impact on the management of public services. It explains the maintenance of several local prerogatives at the time of nationalization (distribution concessions, municipal and departmental utilities, etc.). It sheds light on certain decisions taken after the creation of Électricité de France, in terms of social redistribution (support for domestic users) and regional planning (price equalization, rural electrification). By bringing to light the actions of local authorities and their main representative organization, the FNCCR (National Federation of Local Authorities and Municipal Utilities), this alternative history of public services, told "from the bottom up," nuances the vision of a hegemonic state. It also provides a better understanding of the current changes in the electricity sector, at a time when issues of decentralization are resurfacing in political debates.