Since 1945, the concept of decentralization has spread almost everywhere in Europe. Unlike other regions of the western Mediterranean, Corsica has not however been granted any regional legislative powers, while all the political elites of the island have demonstrated their inclination towards a subordinate, « top-down » power-relation with central government. Until the Second World War, regionalist movements were for the most part powerless to unsettle a highly integrated power system, the foundation of which was the strong collusion between local elites and the state authorities. Since then, there has been a remarkable continuity in the type of power relations established between the regional and the central echelons. The powers actually devolved to the island regions have largely reproduced those which were delegated to other continental regions. Despite the volatility of the electorate and despite the minority support for nationalist parties, the chances for any significant change in Corsica are slight, in the short term. This is because the predominant political culture is one of institutional management, and because the nationalists are still a long way from being able to gain power.