Blanche Leridon Director of French Studies at Institut Montaigne, specializing in democratic and institutional issues Resident FellowBlanche Leridon is Director of French Studies at Institut Montaigne, with expertise in democratic and institutional issues.After first joining Institut Montaigne in 2015, she held several positions in ministerial offices between 2018 and 2021: within the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, where she was responsible for parliamentary affairs, equal opportunities and culture; and at the Office of the President of the French National Assembly, where she was advisor on cultural and educational matters.At Institut Montaigne, she has led several initiatives on democracy and populism in France and Europe. Her research focuses on democratic transformations, the future of intermediary bodies, political communication and discourse. OnExpressions, she publishes a Decoding France, a monthly series that analyses French political affairs for an international audience. She has co-authored several policy papers and reports for Institut Montaigne, including Hungary, Poland, Italy: National Populists Tested by Power, Democracy: New Paths to Civic Engagement, After 2024: Democratic Twilight or Renewal?, European Union: The Reach and Limits of National Populists, and Intermediary Bodies: Lost Connections in Democracy?.She regularly contributes to several media outlets including every Sunday evening on C Politique, alongside Thomas Snégaroff and Raphaël Llorca, on TV Channel France 5.Blanche Leridon also teaches a course on political discourse in the French Fifth Republic at Sciences Po. She has published three books: Odyssées Ordinaires, by Éditions Bouquins in 2022; Le château de mes sœurs, by Éditions Les Pérégrines in 2024 (which was awarded the Prix de l’Essai Psychologies); and Nos Inachèvements, by Éditions du Seuil in 2026.She holds a master’s degree in Public Affairs from Sciences Po Paris, which she completed after studying literature in a classe préparatoire (a selective French preparatory programme for entrance to the Gandes écoles) and history at UCL (University College London).PublicationsExplainersApril 2026Hungary, Poland, Italy: How National Populists GovernHungary, Poland, Italy: how do national-populist governments actually govern? This analysis compares their public policies, between promises and actions. Despite radical rhetoric, pragmatism prevails under economic, European, and energy constraints, with differing impacts on the rule of law, democracy, and foreign policy.Issue PaperMay 20252024, a Year of Elections: Twilight or Renewal of Democracy?2024 broke all previous records for the holding of elections worldwide. More than 60 countries were called to the polls, including the United States, France, Great Britain, Taiwan, India, Russia and Turkey. What is the state of democracy at the start of 2025? What initial conclusions can be drawn from the various polls? Could this, the most democratic year in recent history, also be the year of its great deconsolidation?ExplainersApril 2024National-Populist Surge in Europe: Implication for European Decision-MakingReportSeptember 2017Ready for Today’s Africa?09/29/2026[Decoding France] - The Extremes Dominate as the 2027 Presidential Race Get... Blanche Leridon 06/08/2026[Decoding France] - The Grand Departure Blanche Leridon 03/30/2026 [Decoding France] - Municipal Elections: In the End, Everyone Claims Victor... Blanche Leridon 01/27/2026 [Decoding France] - All's Well That Ends Well? Blanche Leridon 12/01/2025 [Decoding France] - Beyond the Budget Crisis Blanche Leridon 11/04/2025 [Decoding France] - A Season of Political Crises in France as Macron's Pres... Blanche Leridon 09/29/2025 [Decoding France] - "Things Fall Apart, the Center Just About Holds" Blanche Leridon 07/21/2025 [Decoding France] - Defense Spending and the Budget: Macron-Bayrou’s Three-... Blanche Leridon 07/01/2025[Decoding France] - Bayrou on the Edge, 2027 in the Air Blanche Leridon 05/26/2025[Decoding France] - Great Expectations, Loud Communication, Little Action Blanche Leridon 04/28/2025 [Decoding France] - Has the Race for 2027 Already Begun? Blanche Leridon 03/25/2025 [Decoding France] - Calm at Home, Storm Abroad? Blanche Leridon 02/24/2025 [Decoding France] - Back to Normal? Blanche Leridon 01/28/2025 [Decoding France] - 2025: Hope Beneath the Political Gridlock? Blanche Leridon 12/17/2024 [Decoding France] - France’s Unprecedented Crisis Blanche Leridon 10/28/2024 [Decoding France] - The New French Government Blanche Leridon 05/09/2023 "Intermediary bodies": Macron’s Friends or Foes? Blanche Leridon 08/11/2022 Seeing Double: Reflections on France Blanche Leridon 05/24/2022 The War Which Must Not Be Named Blanche Leridon 04/05/2022 France’s Presidential Elections Under Europe’s Eye: A Race Already Won Blanche Leridon