If you'd like to print out this page, click the Print button above. Alternatively, you may click the printer icon on your browser's toolbar, or choose File>Print from the menu.     France Exercise 3 The Changing Role of French Local Government. EMMANUEL NEGRIER. West European Politics, Oct 1999 v22 i4 p120 1. What are the three levels of local government in France, from smallest to largest? 2. Prior to the decentralization reforms of the early 1980s, what was the nature of national government/local government relations? What was the role of the local elected representative? 3. What were important aspects of the decentralization reforms of the early 1980s? 4. How does the data in the three tables found at the end of the article demonstrate the increasing power of local government over time? 5. Why might the national government of a country want tight control over local government? 6. Why might the national government of a country decide to allow increased autonomy and power for local governments?