The Social Economy of France

## Why Study France? XIX new weapon and to the use of three old weapons, in an attempt to curb the inflation which has beset her like the rest of Western Europe. The new and really imaginative move took the form of cuts in the V.A.T. Many economists fear that the effects of this move will be shortlived. However, resorting to more well-tried policies, France, at the tum of the year 1972-73, placed curbs on bank lending (which have just been successful), launched a very successful State loan, and decided (in the face of opposition from the employers' federation) to continue the price controls which had been introduced on 1 April 1972. France then, in her move into the twenty-first century, is experiencing deep economic and social changes. Alas, when one looks at the scarred face of the country -the sacrilege committed already on the right bank of the Seine and now to be committed on the left bank, l when one looks at the devastation of the Cote d' Azur 2 and other provinces ... all for the sake of the worship of profit, one wonders whether the current human reactions to the state of French society are not already too late. It will unfortunately take decades to effect the necessary transformation in France in the fields of decentralisation, town planning, education in modern architecture, civic consciousness and active participation at all levels of society. The task before France is indeed monumental. The author, like all who love France, hopes that she will succeed in this task; it is important for the rest of Europe that she succeed. Front Matter....Pages i-xix Social Philosophy....Pages 1-4 External Affairs....Pages 5-9 Social Structure....Pages 10-27 Industry and Agriculture....Pages 28-46 The Environment....Pages 47-63 The Management of the French Economy 1945–70....Pages 64-97 Current Changes in the Management of France’s Economy....Pages 98-105 Back Matter....Pages 106-133