Maurice Duverger is a French jurist

Jurist

A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...

, sociologist and politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

. He was born in Angoulême

Angoulême

-Main sights:In place of its ancient fortifications, Angoulême is encircled by boulevards above the old city walls, known as the Remparts, from which fine views may be obtained in all directions. Within the town the streets are often narrow. Apart from the cathedral and the hôtel de ville, the...

, Charente

Charente

Charente is a department in southwestern France, in the Poitou-Charentes region, named after the Charente River, the most important river in the department, and also the river beside which the department's two largest towns, Angoulême and Cognac, are sited.-History:Charente is one of the original...

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Starting his career as a jurist at the University of Bordeaux

University of Bordeaux

University of Bordeaux is an association of higher education institutions in and around Bordeaux, France. Its current incarnation was established 21 March 2007. The group is the largest system of higher education schools in southwestern France. It is part of the Academy of Bordeaux.There are seven...

, Duverger became more and more involved in political science and in 1948 founded one of the first faculties for political science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 in Bordeaux, France. An emeritus

Emeritus

Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...

 professor of the Sorbonne

Sorbonne

The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...

 and member of the FNSP, he has published many books and articles in newspapers, such as Corriere della Sera

Corriere della Sera

The Corriere della Sera is an Italian daily newspaper, published in Milan.It is among the oldest and most reputable Italian newspapers. Its main rivals are Rome's La Repubblica and Turin's La Stampa.- History :...

, la Repubblica

La Repubblica

la Repubblica is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Founded in 1976 in Rome by the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, as of 2008 is the second largest circulation newspaper, behind the Corriere della Sera.-Foundation:...

, El Pais, and especially Le Monde

Le Monde

Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...

.

Duverger has studied the evolution of political systems and the institutions that operate in diverse countries, showing a preference for empirical methods of investigation rather than philosophical reasoning.

He devised a theory which became known as Duverger's law

Duverger's law

In political science, Duverger's law is a principle which asserts that a plurality rule election system tends to favor a two-party system. This is one of two hypotheses proposed by Duverger, the second stating that “the double ballot majority system and proportional representation tend to...

, which identifies a correlation between a first-past-the-post election system and the formation of a two-party system

Two-party system

A two-party system is a system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and, as a result, all or nearly all elected offices are members of one of the two major parties...

.
While analysing the political system of France, he coined the term semi-presidential system

Semi-presidential system

The semi-presidential system is a system of government in which a president and a prime minister are both active participants in the day-to-day administration of the state...

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From 1989 until 1994 he was a member of the Group of the Party of European Socialists

Group of the Party of European Socialists

The Group of the Party of European Socialists was a political group of the European Parliament. It was made up of MEPs elected from the lists of member parties of the Party of European Socialists....

 in the European Parliament.

In 1981 he was elected a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts

Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts

The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most prominent academic institution in Serbia today...

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A member of Doriot

Doriot

Doriot is a French surname, and may refer to:* Georges Doriot , one of the first American venture capitalists.* Jacques Doriot , a French communist, later fascist...

’s fascist Parti Populaire Français

Parti Populaire Français

The Parti Populaire Français was a fascist political party led by Jacques Doriot before and during World War II...

 from age 20, Maurice Duverger completed his studies in from the Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...

 Department of Law in 1942, before lecturing in law at Poitiers

Poitiers

Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...

 in 1942, and Bordeaux in 1943 (where he would, in 1948, found the Institut d’Études Politiques as its first director).