The problems of comparative research: the case of France

The article is based on the premise that the practice of planning is heavily dependent on the administrative and legal framework within which it exists. The theme is developed by comparing French and British local government and administrative law. The fragmentation of territorial units and the overlapping of competences in France is noted as is the extent to which administrative law guarantees the stability of the administration and the rights of the individual by fixing legal rules. The impact of these differences is pursued through two development control cases which were departures from plans in force, in which problems of legality appear to have obscured questions of underlying policy.