“We must take the context into account,” replied the bosses of three prestigious American universities, the better to refrain from explaining themselves about this wave of anti-Semitism which has ravaged their campuses since October 7. “Take the context into account”: a phrase that means nothing, other than the cowardice of those who refuse reality. In France, we will undoubtedly be told that we must take the context into account when we have pointed out the countless blockages at work in our country. Interviewed by L’Express, economist Jean Tirole lists these obstacles: a sclerotic education system, an economy in poor shape, a world of research that is penniless and stunned by bureaucracy…
Not only is he right to sound the alarm, but, generously, our Nobel Prize winner in economics is outlining ways to restart the French engine, avoid downgrading and preserve our social model. He is not the first to make this grim diagnosis – we remember The company blocked by sociologist Michel Crozier, essay published in 1970.
Alas, governments come and go, promises follow one another, the debt grows, but the reforms remain embryonic – with the exception, it should be noted, of that of pensions carried out as best as possible by Emmanuel Macron. Yellow vests, Covid, war in Ukraine, return of inflation: the state of multiple crises has ended up making us forget the urgency of fundamental reforms in the name of a permanent sprinkling of magic money to calm French anger.
In fact, this “falling France”, which the historian Nicolas Baverez clinically described just twenty years ago, has not stopped its fall, on the contrary. Is that bad ? Yes, according to the latest Pisa report, which informs us that even the most successful students are in turn being sucked down. Yes again, discover this Rexecode study on the working time of the French: lazier, this does not exist elsewhere in Europe, with the exception of the Finns! So what ? retort those who aspire to go fishing rather than to the office.
The French model diverges dangerously from others
So, you have to look at these indicators that have turned crimson red. This France of leisure is no longer that of income. Idleness, whether desired or most often suffered, ends up costing our country dearly. Difficulty integrating young people, RTT galore, explosion of sick leave, employment rate of seniors well below that of our neighbors, even if it has progressed in recent years: the French model is dangerously different from the others. GDP per capita ($54,989 in 2022 according to the OECD) is stagnating, far from Germany ($63,522), the Netherlands ($70,861) or the United States ($76,291).
Is it too late to correct the situation? Certainly not: Gabriel Attal’s recipes for reforming schools, the government’s efforts to increase the employment rate of seniors and even the priority given to research testify to an awareness. But let’s avoid saying that it depends on the context…