ABSTRACT
The French model of economic and industrial management has long fascinated foreign observers (Zysman, 1977; Hall, 1986, 1989, 1993, 2001; Schmidt, 1996; Hayward, 1986, 1997). We set out in the main body of this chapter to provide a general overview of processes of economic governance in contemporary France. After a brief presentation of the structure of the French economy, we consider the legacy of dirigisme, the core feature of the orthodox French model. We then move on to to describe the change in economic direction of the 1980s and 1990s. After undertaking a case study of privatisation, we conclude the chapter by highlighting underlying continuities in the practice of French economic management.
