Syme, Robert Anthony (1996) Public policy and unemployment in France, 1920-1938. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This study is an attempt to highlight the relative importance of unemployment in France in the 1930s, despite the very low rate of aggregate unemployment. It has been shown that even if one accepts the official unemployment figures, they disguised a very large structural imbalance within the unemployed group. There was great variation in the incidence of unemployment among the sub-groups of the population and the economy, and the duration of unemployment for those affected was very high, even by international standards.
This preponderance of long-term unemployment necessitated government action, of which three policies are studied in this Thesis: the public works programmes of 1932- 1936, the repatriation of foreign workers and the 40-hour week. Using both archival and quantitative analysis, examination of the effectiveness of the policies concerned in reducing unemployment has been undertaken. The results show that the government’s anti-unemployment policies did reduce unemployment, but their effectiveness was compromised by the hostility of employers to the legislation regarding foreign workers and hours of work and by the government’s own policy of remaining on the gold standard. The battles over the implementation of these measures are as important as the measures themselves, and raise questions about the ability of governments to affect the workings of the labour market when it does not directly implement the policies itself.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Unemployment -- France, Labor market -- France, Manpower policy -- France|xHistory -- 20th century, Full employment policies -- France
Official Date:	September 1996
Dates:	Date Event September 1996 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Economics
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Broadberry, S. N.
Sponsors:	Economic and Social Research Council (Great Britain) ; University of Warwick.Department of Economics ; Royal Historical Society
Extent:	322 leaves : illustrations
Language:	eng

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