The regional elections have just recently come to an end in France. They were marked by a profound reshuffling of the electorate. The very strong level of abstention, the ecologist dynamic, the clear victory for the left and the resurgence of a Front National which had been in difficulty until then, now constitute the major features of the French political landscape with two years remaining until the decisive deadline of the presidential election in 2012.

As always, the Cevipof harnessed a great deal of its research capacity to study the event, situate it within a longer time period and interpret it in the light of the political reshaping which is currently taking place in French society.

The Cevipof used a variety of means to show what a publicly financed research centre can contribute not only to the academic community but also to a wider public. A public made up of individuals interested in public issues and seeking information and analysis likely to help them decide what their commitment and involvement in society might be. These means included: expert analysis in the media, on the spot analysis in the form of day-long seminars, press articles, featuring of results on the Centre’s website, detailed interpretations and reading of the events as they unfolded and the drafting of detailed analysis for publication in scientific journals.

Pascal Perrineau