The Social Economy of France

150 Pages·1973·12.935 MB·English

by  Peter Coffey (auth.)

THE SOCIAL ECONOMY OF FRANCE
By the same author
EUROPEAN MONETARY INTEGRATION (with John R. Presley)
The Social Economy of
France
PETER COFFEY
Senior Fellow in European Economics
Europa Instituut, University of Amsterdam
PA LGRA VE MACMILLAN
ISBN 978-1-349-01578-8 ISBN 978-1-349-01576-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-01576-4
© Peter Coffey 1973
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1973 978-0-333-13758-1
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced or transmitted, in any
form or by any means, without permission.
First published 1973 by
THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
London and Basingstoke
Associated companies in New York Dublin
Melbourne Johannesburg and Madras
SBN 333 13758 2
Pour Bernard, Jean-Pierre et Madame Jouanneau
Intacte, enorme, eternelle ... voila de grands adjectifs, et
qui sentent la consideration, tout au moins celle qu' on doit a
une puissance.
Colette, Le Pur et l'impur
Pour la technique, je m'en tenais a l'objectivite que je
m'imposais ... m'interdisant de jamais faire comp rendre un
personnage par une description introspective; mais seulement,
comme dans la vie, par ce qu'on peut voir ou entendre: leurs
gestes, les mains qui les trahissent, les paroles toujours
chargees d' ambiguUe, les silences qui les mettent a nu sans
qu'ils s'en doutent.
Vercors, La Bataille du silence
CONTENTS
List of Tables IX
Preface: WHY STUDY FRANCE? xiii
I SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY I
2 EXTERNAL AFFAIRS 5
3 SOCIAL STRUCTURE 10
Population: The Position of Women in French
Society: Education: The Universities - the Faure Plan:
Trade Unions: Medical Care in France: Conclusions
4 INDUSTRY AND AGRICULTURE 28
Industry
Monopoly Control and the Restructuring of French
Industry: Energy: The Service and Distributive
Industries
Agriculture
French Firms by Industry
5 THE ENVIRONMENT 47
The French Regional Question: The Environment and
the Economy: France - Housing: Conclusion - The
Environment
6 THE MANAGEMENT OF THE FRENCH ECONOMY 64
1945-70
Public Finance, Monetary and Prices Policy 1944-58:
Special Note on Monetary and Fiscal Policy: The
French System of National Planning: Fiscal, Monetary
and Prices and Incomes Policies 1958-72: The Social
viii Contents
Effects of the French Taxation System: French
Banking Reforms
7 CURRENT CHANGES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF 98
FRANCE'S ECONOMY
Appendix 1 106
Special Social Benefits
Appendix 2 112
France, Western Germany, The United Kingdom -
Some Statistical Comparisons
Index 131
List of Tables
1 French Agricultural Exports to her Neighbours in 8
the E.E.C.
2 Net Foreign Investment in France 8
3 Percentage Control in Key Industries by Foreign 9
Firms in 1963
3A E.E.C.: Place in French Trade 9
4 The Population of France 11
5 The Working Population of France 11
6 The Population of France: Breakdown according 12
to Age
7 Immigration 13
8 Numbers of University Students 19
9 Industrial Concentration: Number of Enterprises 31
10 Age of Machine Tools used in Industry 32
11 France: Energy: Consumption 36
12 France: Labour Force according to Sectors 37
13 Personal Consumption, 1950, 1959, 1968 38
14 France: Mechanisation of Agriculture 39
15 France: Number of I.V.D.s per year 40
16-17 French Firms by Industry: Competitive Ranking:
Profitability and Size: 1970
(i) Car Industry 45
(ii) Chemical Industry 45
(iii) Textiles 45
(iv) Steel 45
(v) Mechanical 46
(vi) Electronics 46
(vii) Distribution 46
(viii) Banking 46
18 Growth of Urban Centres 1962-70 54
19 Quality of Housing 58
20 Average Annual Rents in France 58
21 Housing: Homes completed 1966-72 62
22 Taxes as a Percentage of G.N.P., 1970 65
x List of Tables
23 Capital Investment 1946-48 65
24 Increases in French Consumption 1953-7 67
25 I.N.S.E.E. Study 1967: French Firms 74
26 Capital Investment 1949-69 77
27 National Plans: Forecasts and Results 78
27A France: Price Increases 1963-6 82
28 Rapport M ontjoie 82
Profits of French Firms
Self-Financing of French Firms
29 Total Population: Young Persons 1958-67 83
30 The Accords de Grenelle 1968 84
31 Price Rises 1966-70 88
32 Direct Taxation according to Income Groups 90
33 Population and Incomes 91
34 The Weight of Paid Taxes on Wage Earners, 1968 91
35 France: Leading Deposit Banks (end June 1972) 94
36 'Impasse' Budgetaire 108
37 Social Security. Division of Resources 108
38 Family Budgets: Social Security: Average Benefits 108
excluding Education, 1968
39 National Budget: Allocation of National Resources 109
1965-71
40 National Budget as Percentage of G.N.P. 1967-71 109
41 National Wealth: Ownership 1967 109
41A Income Distribution 1971 110
42 Major Trading Partners: 1971 110
43 Balance of Payments 1949-67 111
44 Balance of Payments 1968-71 111
Appendix 2
(i) People and Land 1970 112
(ii) Distribution of Labour Force by Industries 1970 113
(iii) Gross National Product at Current Prices 114
(iv) Average Annual Growth Rates of G.N.P. at 115
Constant Prices
(v) Food Consumption 1970 116
(vi) Other Indicators of Living Standards 117
(vii) Use of Gross Domestic Product 1970 118
(viii) Wage-Earners in Manufacturing Industry 1970 118
(ix) Change in Retail Prices 1950-70 119