Институт политических исследований в Лионе: история и современность

Political science school in Lyon, France

The Institut d'Études politiques de Lyon (or Lyon Institute of Political Studies) also known as Sciences Po Lyon, is a grande école located in Lyon, France. It is one of ten Institutes of Political Studies in France, and was established in 1948 by Charles de Gaulle's provisional government following the model of the École Libre des Sciences Politiques. It is located at the Centre Berthelot within the buildings of a former military health college and operates as an autonomous institution within the University of Lyon. It is the first Institute of Political Studies to have joined the prestigious Conférence des Grandes écoles. Sciences Po Lyon has established partnerships with more than 160 universities abroad.

Sciences Po Lyon was established following an executive decree by General de Gaulle in 1948. and André Philip. J. P. Cot and André Philip were both members of the Parliamentary Committee on the reform of the State. The ELSP, known then as Sciences Po, was indeed considered as an institution providing the sole Parisian bourgeoisie with a quasi monopoly over access to the most prestigious positions in the French civil service (the Grands corps de l'Etat or high administrative bodies). More to the point, the ELSP was discredited for having trained many senior civil servants who quickly supported and were actually the backbone of the Vichy France from July 1940 to August 1944. As per ordinance 45 2284, issued by Charles de Gaulle on 9 October 1945, the ELSP was thus replaced by the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de l'Université de Paris. The Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques was established by the same ordinance in order to oversee it as well as the other instituts d'études politiques – including the IEP in Lyon in 1948 – subsequently established throughout the French territory. In order to democratize and rationalize access to the senior civil service, the "National School of Administration" (École nationale d'administration) was created on the basis of a project developed by Michel Debré and Emmanuel Monick. Otherwise, this project was not entirely in the spirit of the programme developed by the National Council of the Resistance (Conseil National de la Resistance or CNR) during World War II, which was willing to sanction and nationalize the ELSP. Was established instead a tripartite and unbalanced structure composed of the FNSP, the ENA, the IEP in Paris (1945) and the subsequent IEPs in Strasbourg (1946), Grenoble (1948), Lyon (1948), Bordeaux (1948), Toulouse (1948), Aix (1956), Rennes (1991) and Lille (1991). While the FNSP is a private foundation, the latter institutions are indeed public. The vocation of the French instituts d'études politiques has been the study and research of contemporary political science. They are quite distinct from the other traditional elite French schools, in particular the highly specialized Grandes Ecoles in business and engineering, given their multi disciplinary approach to teaching. All students at the IEPs study a compulsory curriculum that is highly practical and multidisciplinary during its first years and focuses on the full range of the social sciences and humanities. The IEPs, being modelled on the former ELSP, are known in the familiar language under the name of Sciences Po, followed by the name of the city where they are located. According to article 2 of an 18 December 1989 decree on the status of the instituts d'études politiques, their mission is to contribute to the training of higher civil servants as well as executives in the public, para public and private sectors, notably in the state and decentralized communities as well as to develop the research in political and administrative sciences. The Sciences Po approach and style inspired many universities abroad such as the London School of Economics.

It is located at the Centre Berthelot within the buildings of a former military health college, which was used during World War II by the then Lyon's Gestapo chief, Klaus Barbie, to torture resistance members, including Jean Moulin. The same buildings were also used by the Ecole Polytechnique from 1940 to 1943 after the school decided to relocate to Lyon (then in the free zone) from its headquarters in the occupied Paris. Sciences Po occupies an area of 9,500 square meters, contiguous to the premises of the Center for the History of the Resistance and Deportation ("Centre d'histoire de la résistance et de la déportation").

Sciences Po Lyon has established a satellite campus for a curriculum specialized in Russian affairs in Saint Etienne at Jean Monnet University, .

Student selection is based on grades obtained in the French baccalauréat (the examination taken at the end of secondary school) and at a competitive written examination called the Heptaconcours (acceptance/selection rate is currently less 10%), which is co organized with six other institutes, respectively in Aix en Provence, Lille, Rennes, Saint Germain en Laye, Strasbourg, and Toulouse. Selected students can then decide in which of these seven institutes they will enrol.

Under the patronage of Christine Lagarde, IMF managing director and a graduate from Sciences Po Aix, Sciences Po Lyon along with the other IEPs of the Heptaconcours, have now organized a competitive examination for Chinese French speaking students, who will be then able to attend the last two years of the Sciences Po academic curriculum.

Since 2014, French students abroad have been able to take the Heptacononcours in four examination centres established abroad: Bangkok, Thailand; Bogota, Colombia; Casablanca, Morocco; Dubai, UAE. Other centres have also been open in the French overseas territories: Pointe à Pitre, Guadeloupe; Cayenne, Guyane : Tahiti, French Polynesia; Fort de France, Martinique; Saint Denis, La Réunion.

Contrary to a general belief, there is no official ranking amongst the various IEPs in France. This derives from the willingness of General de Gaulle and other past legislators in the aftermath of the Liberation of France in 1945 to ensure territorial and social equality amongst students throughout France. Nevertheless, according to a 2010 research, top notch students following the competitive written examination organized by the six IEPs of Aix, Lille, Lyon, Rennes, Toulouse, Strasbourg, tend to choose Lyon, along with Lille and Strasbourg as their first choices. Accordingly, approximately 55% of the students at Sciences Po hold a French Baccalaureate (equivalent to an A level), predominantly scientific or economic, with a Summa Cum Laude distinction. This percentage is higher than in Bordeaux and Grenoble Institutes of Political Studies. Such a percentage is also higher than in most of the best French Grandes Ecoles. The current acceptance/selection rate for students willing to enter in the first year of the standard curriculum for the IEP of Lyon, Aix, Lille, Rennes, Toulouse, Strasbourg, is now less than 10% while it reached 18.7% in 2010 and 14.17% in 2013 for the IEP of Paris (additionally, the rate of the so called international procedure for foreign students or French students with a foreign degree was up to 31% in 2012). That makes the selection process for these six IEPs more competitive than for Paris. The acceptance/selection rate for students willing to enter in the second year of the curriculum of the IEP in Lyon is less than 5% (853 candidates for 42 places available for the 2013–14 academic year). while Brown University has praised Sciences Po Lyon for its Middle Eastern and North African studies. Sciences Po Lyon's dynamism and international reputation was underscored by the French newspaper, Challenges, in its ranking of French Business Schools.

Sciences Po Lyon offers dual master's degrees with institutions such as the École nationale des travaux publics de l'État (ENTPE), EMLYON Business School, the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, the CFJ Paris based Journalism School and Training center, Jean Moulin University Lyon 3.

The institute has established partnerships with Hong Kong Baptist University (香港浸會大學) and Loughborough University. The institute is also working on the establishment of a dual master's degree with the University of Virginia.

Sciences Po Lyon and Sciences Po Paris are both part of the European Master of Public Administration Consortium. This consortium was established in 1990 1991 and has developed a multilateral exchange programs for students and scholars of public administration. The other European members of this consortium are: Université catholique de Louvain, Tallinn University of Technology, University of Vaasa, German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer, Corvinus University of Budapest, University of Limerick, Leiden University, Erasmus University Rotterdam, University of Geneva, University of Liverpool. Members of this consortium deliver a joint diploma upon completion of the program.

Sciences Po Lyon along with the other IEPs in Aix, Lille, Rennes, Strasbourg, Toulouse, formed an alliance on 28 June 2013 by establishing Sciences Po Europe / The European School of Public Affairs (ESoPA). The purpose of this alliance is to enhance their international visibility and their current partnerships with other universities. As such, ESoPA has partnered with Paris Dauphine University

In its report in December 2010, AERES, the French Evaluation Agency on Research and Higher Education, praised the excellency of the academic training offered by Sciences Po Lyon. It acknowledged as well the top level international network built by the Institute and underscored that its students are proud of their education. Sciences Po Lyon's research center on Asian Affairs has been graded A+ by AERES, its center GREMMO ("Groupe de recherches et d'études sur la Méditerranée et le Moyen Orient") on the Middle East an A. The GREMMO is a joint research center along with the CNRS, Lumière University Lyon 2 and the Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée. Overall, Sciences Po Lyon research capacities have received an A, the same grade obtained by the doctoral school of Sciences Po Paris. This past evaluation was subsequently confirmed in 2015 by HCERES, the French High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education. HCERES has also praised the excellent network of Sciences Po Lyon's international partners, notably those in the United States. The institute has indeed benefited strongly from being part of the Fulbright Program. This has provided the exchange of professors and lecturers from top ranked US universities, such as Andrew C. Rudalevige, PhD from Harvard University and Toppan Prize of the best dissertation in political science.

Sciences Po Lyon has fifteen student associations, including the "Association des Anciens Eleves de l'IEP de Lyon" (Alumni association), "Bobinophile" (for movie fans), "Comequi" (aimed at promoting fair trade),"Déclics"(photography), "La Fanfaraon" (Brass band), "Melting Sciences Pot" (aimed at welcoming foreign students) and Sciences Po TV. Several student papers have been created such as La Mâche (philosophy and poetry), "Po Go" (music and night life), "Regards d'Ailleurs" (political news and analyses) or L'Ecornifleur (political news), the latter partnering with national print media such as L'Express. Cultural groups such as "Arriba Do Sul" organize events that highlight foreign cultures or cuisine. The Bureau des Etudiants (BDE or Student Council), aims to integrate students into school life through cultural events, conferences with political leaders, diplomats and opinion leaders. Major events include the "WEST" (a weekend of ski), the "week end d'intégration" (where new students integrate with collective games and parties), and the "Gala de Sciences Po Lyon" (which gathers students and professors for a night of shows and dance). Sciences Po Lyon students participate in the "Crit", a sporting event between all the Institutes of Political Studies in France. The university has sport clubs, such as its Soccer, Basketball, Handball, or the Rugby Team (the GPRC). The "Bureau des sports" (BDE) manages the school's athletic life and organizes the "Crit", in cooperation with the BDEs of the other IEPs.

The Information and Communication Research Team of Lyon (ELICO) brings together thirty teacher researchers and around forty PhD students in information and communication sciences from Sciences Po Lyon, Lyon 1, Lyon 2 and Lyon 3 universities as well as from the National School of Information Sciences and Libraries (ENSSIB).

Established in 1987, the Institute of Human Sciences (ISH) brings together 23 research laboratories located in Lyon and Saint Étienne. It covers the fields of human and social sciences, including history, economics management, sociology, linguistics and political science.

Along with Université Lumière Lyon 2, the institute hosts the "Centre de Politologie de Lyon ("CERIEP"), a CNRS research department on politology.

Along with the ENS in Lyon and the Université Lumière Lyon 2, Sciences Po is running the Lyon Institute of East Asian Studies ("Institut d'Asie Orientale"/ IAO), which has been graded A+ by AERES and has been considered as such as the best French research institute in this field. Since 2009, the IAO has been partnering with the Tohoku University within the framework of the Global Center of Excellence project as well as with the University of Beijing and the University of Tokyo for other projects. The IAO is involved in the training of PhD students under an agreement with the École normale supérieure Paris Saclay and the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Ulm and the East China Normal University of Shanghai. IAO members also sit on dissertation committees at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley.

Along with the Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée, the institute has established a research center on Middle Eastern Affairs, called "GREMMO" (Groupe de recherche et d’études sur la Méditerranée et le Moyen Orient). It is supervised by Fabrice Balanche, an expert on Syria.

In order to gain greater visibility overseas, its publications are now labelled under the publications of the University of Lyon. The latter is grouping the main universities and colleges in Lyon.

Sophie Aubert. French ambassador to Bangladesh. Elisabeth Beton Delegue. French ambassador to Mexico. Former assistant secretary for the Americas and the Caribbean at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Former ambassador to Chili. Alcide Djédjé. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ivory Coast and former Ambassador to the United Nations. Jean Yves Ekalle Diboty. Founder. International Relations and Affairs Group. Didier Le Bret. Director of the crisis cell of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Former French ambassador to Haiti. Serge Tomasi. French permanent representative (ambassador) to Food and Agriculture Organization. Former director for development at the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. Former deputy director at the Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development.

Thomas Baumgartner. Producer of "L'atelier du son" at France Culture. Valérie Béranger. Political journalist and TV presenter at BFM TV. Liseron Boudoul. Senior TV journalist at TF1. Sonia Chironi. Political journalist and TV presenter. Eric Decouty. Political journalist. Deputy Chief Editor of Libération. Former Deputy Chief Editor of Le Parisien. Cécile Delarue. TV presenter. Patrick Fiole. Journalist. Former Chief Editor of Le Nouvel Observateur
Joséphine Japy. Actress (France Gall in Cloclo; lead role in Mélanie Laurent's Respire (film))
Jacques Maillot. Writer and movie director.

Noémie Bouhana. PhD in Criminology at the University of Cambridge. Lecturer in Crime Science, Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science at the University College London. Thierry Kirat. Research director at Paris Dauphine University. Fabrice Larat. Director of the Research Institute on Administrative Science at the French École nationale d'administration. Chief editor of the Revue Française d'Administration Publique. Alix Meyer. Lecturer in International Relations at Sciences Po Lyon. Specialist in US politics. Former Fulbright Scholar at Princeton University. Bruno Perreau. Cynthia L. Reed Professor of French Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also Non Resident Faculty at the Center for European Studies, Harvard. Frederic Ramel. Professor in Political Science at Sciences Po in Paris. Zekeria Ould Ahmed Salem. Professor in Political Sciences at Sciences Po in Paris. Pierre Henri Tavoillot. Professor in Philosophy. Paris Sorbonne University. Michel Vate. Professor Emeritus in Economics. University of Lyon. Yves Crozet. Professor Emeritus in Economics. University of Lyon. Ljubisa Bojic. Research Fellow in Future Sciences at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade.

Julien Desprès. Rower. Bronze Medal (coxless four) during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Gold Medal during the 2010 World Championships (same category). Claude Mollard. Writer. Photographer. Founder of the Centre national de la photographie. Former General Secretary of the Centre Pompidou. Senior Member of the French Court of Audit. Michel Seurat. Sociologist. Abducted in 1985 by the Lebanese Islamist Jihad. Reportedly died during his custody.

Gilbert Blardone. Economist. Michel Boivin. French historian and anthropologist who specializes in the Muslim world. Marie Anne Cohendet. Constitutionalist
Dominique Chagnolaud. Political scientist. Philippe Corcuff. Political scientist, member of the Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions and for Citizens' Action. Wu Chih Chung. Professor of political science. Luc Ferry, philosopher, French Minister of Education (2002–04), former advisor to President Sarkozy. Michel Foucher. Geographer and Historian. Former French ambassador to Latvia, former adviser to former Foreign Minister Hubert Védrine, former director of the French Foreign Ministry's Policy Planning Staff (France). Pascal Marchand. Expert on former Soviet Union and Russia. Vincent Michelot. Professor in international relations, expert on US history and foreign policy. Andrew C. Rudalevige, PhD from Harvard University (awarded Toppan Prize as Harvard's best thesis/dissertation in political science), professor of political science at Bowdoin College.