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From Our Own Correspondent: The Power of the Piston

How the right personal connections in France can cut through the red tape of bureaucracy.

Hugh Schofield has lived in Paris for a long time - but until recently he felt like a complete outsider to the game of getting things done. In negotiating complex bureaucracy, local politics or diplomatic challenges, it felt as though everyone else was playing by different rules - and possibly using their personal connections to get on an inside track. But more recently he has learned how to use his own personal network, and get wheels turning...

(Photo: A view of the National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament. Credit: Franck Prevel/Getty Images)

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6 minutes

Last on

Thu 5 May 2016 15:23GMT

Broadcast

  • Thu 5 May 2016 15:23GMT