The French Fifth Republic at Fifty addresses essential questions about the determinants and dynamics of the French political system. The fiftieth anniversary of the Fifth Republic provides a unique opportunity to study systematically and with the tools of comparative politics the different dimensions of what has often been identified as 'French exceptionalism' over the long haul. This long term perspective allows for the mapping of the key institutions of the Fifth Republic both in terms of their evolution and the complex interplay between institutions and politics. The book not only focuses on the classic institutions of government, but also on the more complex story of structures in a broader sociological sense, as sets of established rules and practices that shape politics. The international team of authors assembled here, from a fruitful collaboration within the French Politics Groups of the American Political Science Association, are some of the leading scholars of French Politics from a variety of countries representing a broad range of subfields in political science, including public policy, comparative politics, international relations, political behaviour, political institutions, and gender and politics.