Curriculum France's Economy
France's Economy
How the French state shapes the economy: an overview, Colbertism, the Trente Glorieuses, indicative planning, the nuclear power bet, very high public spending, pension reforms and protests, the 35-hour week, insiders and outsiders in the job market, farmers and the CAP, rising debt and ties with India.
- France at a Glance An overview of France's economy - one of Europe's largest, with strong state involvement, world-leading firms and a large welfare state. 📄 Read-aloud
- Colbertism: The French Tradition of State Industry How Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis XIV's finance minister, built state-supported industries and protected them with tariffs, starting a long French tradition. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Trente Glorieuses How France enjoyed thirty glorious years of rapid growth from 1945 to 1975, modernising from a rural economy into an industrial and consumer society. 📄 Read-aloud
- Indicative Planning in Postwar France How France's Planning Commission, led first by Jean Monnet, set targets and coordinated investment without Soviet-style command, and how it differed from India's plans. 📄 Read-aloud
- France's Nuclear Power Bet How the 1974 Messmer plan built dozens of nuclear reactors, giving France low-carbon electricity, and the problems of ageing reactors and EDF's debts. 📄 Read-aloud
- Europe's Highest Public Spending Why France's public spending is around 57 percent of GDP, what it funds, and the debate over whether it supports well-being or burdens growth. 📄 Read-aloud
- France's Economy: Checkpoint 1 Quick checkpoint - five questions on France's economy, Colbertism, the Trente Glorieuses, planning and nuclear power. 5 questions
- Pension Reforms and Protests Why raising France's retirement age from 62 to 64 in 2023 triggered months of mass protests, and the economics of pay-as-you-go pensions in an ageing society. 📄 Read-aloud
- The 35-Hour Week How France cut the legal working week to 35 hours in 2000 to create jobs, what research found about its effects, and how the rule was later loosened. 📄 Read-aloud
- Insiders, Outsiders and French Unemployment Why France has had persistently high unemployment, especially for youth, how strong protections for permanent workers create a dual labour market, and Macron's reforms. 📄 Read-aloud
- Farmers and the Common Agricultural Policy How France became the largest beneficiary of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy, why French farmers are politically powerful, and the 2024 farmer protests. 📄 Read-aloud
- France's Debt Troubles Why France's deficits and debt rose above EU limits, how political deadlock in 2024-25 made budgets hard to pass, and why ratings agencies downgraded France. 📄 Read-aloud
- France and India: Partners and Lessons How France and India cooperate in defence, nuclear energy, space and tech, and what France's model teaches, with a recap of the module. 📄 Read-aloud