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Article: Can France compete? (in international markets)
- Article from:
- Europe
- Article date:
- May 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Delegation of the European Commission. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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On first blush, France appears to be among the sickest of the big industrial economies, crippled by unemployment of more than 12 percent, high taxes, and sluggish job creation. To make matters worse, it is not taking the medicine prescribed for much of the world. Privatization has been slowed by the Socialist government, inflexible labor laws persist, and the high social charges and generous welfare system have been largely untouched.
If that is the case, can France compete in the twenty-first century with global barriers coming down at a greater rate? The question, as with many questions about France, has a complex answer.
David Calleo, director of European ...