Clift, Ben. (2002) The political economy of the Jospin government. Modern and Contemporary France, Vol.10 (No.3). pp. 325-337. ISSN 0963-9489

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Abstract

This article explores the political economy of the French Socialist Party (PS), beginning with the neo-liberal U-turn of 1983. It then charts the re-evaluation of the PS's political economic foundations after the 1993 defeat, the rejection of the neo-liberal 'pensée unique', and the rehabilitation of a broadly Keynesian frame of reference. The article goes on to explore how this shift has fed through into the Jospin government's policy and positions at both the national and international level. It explores aspirations to reinvent the EU as a Keynesian social democratic 'policy space', and at the national level, employment, macroeconomic, and structural policies.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DC France
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Politics and International Studies
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Parti socialiste (France), Economics -- Political aspects -- France. , Keynesian economics., France -- Politics and government -- 1981-1995., France -- Politics and government -- 1995-2007.
Journal or Publication Title:	Modern and Contemporary France
Publisher:	Routledge
ISSN:	0963-9489
Date:	August 2002
Volume:	Vol.10
Number:	No.3
Page Range:	pp. 325-337
Identification Number:	10.1080/09639480220151154
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
References:	* 1. MOSCOVICI, P., L'Urgence: Plaidoyer pour une autre politique (Pion, 1997), p. 55. * 2. HALL, P., Governing the Economy (Polity, 1986). * 4. GRAY, J., After Social Democracy (Demos, 1996); GRAY, J., False Down (Granta, 1998). * 5. HELD, D., MCGREW, A., GOLDBLATT, D. and PERRATON, J., Global Transformations (Polity, 1999); PIERSON, C., Hard Choices: Social Democracy in the 21st Century (Polity, 2001). * 6. PIERSON, Hard Choices, p. 81. * 7. MUET, P.-A. and FONTENEAU, A., La Gauche face agrave la crise (Presses de la FNSP, 1985); CAMERON, D., 'Exchange rate politics in France 1981-83: the regime defining choices of the Mitterrand presidency', in A. DALEY (ed.), The Mitterrand Era (Macmillan, 1996), pp. 56-82. * 8. JOSPIN, L., Modern Socialism (Fabian Society, 1999), p. 10. * 9. JOSPIN, L., 'Ma vision de l'Europe et de la mondialisation', Notes de la Fondation Jean Jauregraves (2001), pp. 33-4. * 10. Ibid., p. 36. * 11. Ibid., pp. 37-8. * 12. Ibid., p. 44. * 13. In the post-mortem of the 1993 defeat. See PS Info, 544 (1993). * 14. FITOUSSI, J.-P., Competitive Disinflation (Oxford University Press, 1993), p. 18. * 15. LORDON, F., 'The logic and limits of "Deacutesinflation compeacutetitive'", Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 14, 1, (1998), pp. 96-113. * 16. FITOUSSI, Competitive Disinflation, p. 17. * 18. FITOUSSI, J.-P., Le Deacutebat interdit: monnaie, Europe, pauvreteacute (Aneacutea, 1995). * 19. FRIEND, J., The Long Presidency: France in the Mitterrand Years (Westview Press, 1998), pp. 189-90. See also DYSON, K. and FEATHERSTONE, K., The Road to Maastricht (Oxford University Press, 1999), pp. 213-15. * 20. FITOUSSI, Competitive Disinflation, p. 18. See also BLANCHARD, O.-J. and MUET, P.-A., 'Competitiveness through disinflation: an assessment of French macro-economic strategy', Economic Policy, 16 (1993), pp. 12-50. * 21. HABERT, P., PERRINEAU, P. and YSMAL, C. (eds), Le vote sanction: les eacutelections leacutegislatives des 21 et 28 mars 1993 (Presses de la FNSP, 1993). * 22. JOSPIN L., '1995-2000: propositions pour la France' (Parti socialiste, 1995). * 23. DUPIN, E., Le Disciple--ou les dix leccedilons que Jospin a appris de Mitterrand (Pion, 1998), p. 203. * 24. MOSCOVICI, L'Urgence, p. 10. * 25. Ibid., p. 95. * 26. Ibid., pp. 59-60. * 27. JOSPIN, Modem Socialism, pp. 4, 8 and 7. * 28. Vendredi (8 mars 1996), p. 19. * 29. JOSPIN, Modem Socialism, p. 11. * 30. DELORS, J., 'White Paper on growth, competitiveness and employment' (European Commission, 1993); DELORS, J., Comments and Proposals for a New Model of Development (Notre Europe, 1997). * 32. LEVY, J., 'Social policy in the age of high unemployment', in A. GUYOMARCH (ed.), Developments in French Politics 2 (Palgrave, 2001), p. 199. * 33. Aid., p. 197. * 34. Ibid., p. 198. * 35. PALIER, B., '"Defrosting" the French welfare state', West European Politics, 23, 1 (2000), pp. 113-36. * 36. Parti socialiste, 'Pour de nouveaux choix de socieacuteteacute', p. 38. The text was presented at the National Council of 17 November 2001. * 37. In the first quarter of 2000, 140,000 new jobs were created in the private sector. In total, in the previous 12 months, 430,000 jobs were created. These increases are spread across all sectors, with services by far the most dynamic. See GRAHAM, R., 'France: jobs materialise at a healthy rate', Financial Times (14 June 2000). * 38. MUET, P.-A., Achieving Full Employment (Policy Network, 2000), p. 10. * 39. Purchasing power as a proportion of household revenue increased by 16 per cent from 1997 to 2002 (the best five-year performance in over 20 years). 'Projet de loi des finances pour 2002', Les Notes bleues de Bercy (Numeacutero hors seacuterie, 2002), p. 11. * 40. LEVY, J. 'France: directing adjustment?' in F. SCHARPF and V. SCHMIDT, Welfare and Work in the Open Economy, Vol. 2 (Oxford University Press, 2000), pp. 337-44. * 41. See OFCE, L'Eacuteconomie franccedilaise (La Deacutecouverte, 1999), pp. 19 and 63. See also 'Projet de loi des finances pour 2002', p. 20. * 42. In March 2000, a 10 per cent income tax cut was introduced for five million lower earners, and 650,000 particularly low earners were exempted from taxation altogether; Financial Times (23 March 2000). In September 2000, income tax was further reduced; Libeacuteration (31 aoucirct 2000). * 43. 'Projet de loi des finances pour 2002', pp. 21-2. It should be recalled, however, that income tax represents a lesser proportion of the total tax levied in France (24 per cent in 1999), than in, say, the UK (39 per cent in the same year). * 44. LEVY, 'France: directing adjustment?', p. 340. * 45. JOSPIN, Modem Socialism, p. 11. * 46. Thus, argued the PS, in the event of a downturn in the economic conjuncture, spending should not be changed even if it were to slightly overshoot the 3 per cent deficit target, allowing macro-policy to counter a crisis of insufficient demand as part of the job-creating strategy; Parti socialiste, Changeons l'avenir (PS, 1997); MOSCOVICI, L'Urgence, pp. 96-8. * 47. 'Projet de Loi des Finances pour 2002', pp. 6 and 113. * 48. DYSON, K., 'Benign or malevolent Leviathan? Social democratic governments in a neo-liberal area', Political Quarterly (1999), p. 202. * 49. JOSPIN, Modem Socialism, p. 6. * 50. JOSPIN, Modem Socialism, p. 5.
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/955

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