Political enterprise and territory in Lyon.

The mayor of Lyon, the second largest city in France, has often been a major figure in regional politics. In the 1980s, he was seen as a symbol of entrepreneur-mayors. On the basis of a case study, a critical look is taken at the management of local government as an enterprise. The mayor's quite classical strategy was to gain territory by controlling institutions: the winning of town hall in 1983; the taking of the urban community in 1989; and the attempt, starting in 1990, to take over the "urban region". Traditional elected officials, such as those sitting on the department's county council, have more resources than was thought. This article takes part in the French debate about archaism and modernity. (C) Elsevier, Paris.