ABSTRACT
As the 1995 wave of strikes has powerfully shown, the French welfare state is currently the object of a political struggle between sections of the labour movement and the government. In this article, we look at the politics of the current transformation of the French social protection system. First, we describe the key features of welfare institutions; second, we look at the debate on the socio-economic problems that welfare is currently facing. Finally, we focus on how these issues appear in the political debate, through an analysis of interview data of influential political actors and a discussion of the 1995 Juppé plan, which provides the framework for future reforms. Our conclusion is that the current transformation process cannot be interpreted as simply a movement towards the restoration of financial equilibrium. Instead, it affects the very structure of the French model of welfare by promoting a shift from Bismarckian social insurance towards a non-employment based, state-controlled system.
