"Collard's volume analyses the challenges facing the Emmanuel Macron presidency in France. Over and above this, it shows us the opportunities and pitfalls of political leadership in a complex modern democracy." John Gaffney , Aston University, United Kingdom "Dr Collard has compiled an impressive range of scholarship to offer comprehensive and original insights into the presidency of Emmanuel Macron, illuminating the intractable difficulties of effecting political change in France." Helen Drake , Loughborough University London, United Kingdom "Sue Collard has done a wonderful job in pulling together this collection on Emmanuel Macron, a deeply paradoxical President, whose disruptive instincts contributed to leaving the country in an unprecedented state of institutional and political crisis. The volume is replete with paradoxes (of the monarchical-populist who damaged his own authority by an ill-considered dissolution), counter-intuitive insights (the participatory reformer who undermined civil society) and unintended consequences (the self-styled slayer of the extremes who assisted in mainstreaming the rightwards shift in immigration and security). The individual chapters provide keys to unlocking and understanding these tensions. I strongly recommend this book." Alistair Cole , Sciences Po Lyon, France, and Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong.