Dictionnaire Constitutionnel

Authors: Duhamel & Mény
Summary: In this short entry of about 182 words, the authors start with the classical distinction between the terms "politics" and "policy"; it is a distinction which does not exist in French, where both terms are translated by "politique". The solution of this dilemma is found in the use of singular and plural version of "politique"; then, "la politique" refers to politics and "les politiques" refers to policy.
Finally, there is a brief explanation of policy studies and their importance. The most important contribution of those studies is a new interpretation of political facts, often completely different from the classical one according to with a policy is always the result of a given system of politics. It could happen an opposite process: policy can determine politics.