Hardback : HK$853.00
Economic liberalization has been contested and defeated in France to an unparalleled extent in comparison to other leading political economies in Western Europe. Levy offers a historical explanation, centered on the legacies of France's postwar statist or dirigiste economic model. Although this model was dismantled decades ago, its policy, party-political, and institutional legacies continue to fuel the contestation of liberalizing reforms today. Contested Liberalization offers a comprehensive analysis of French economic and social policy since the 1980s, including the Macron administration. It also traces the implications of the French case for contestation in East Asia and Latin America. Levy concludes by identifying ways that French liberalizers could diminish contestation, notably by adopting a more inclusive process and more equitable allocation of the costs and benefits of liberalizing reform. This book will interest scholars and students of political economy and comparative politics, especially those working on economic liberalization, French politics, and the welfare state.
Economic liberalization has been contested and defeated in France to an unparalleled extent in comparison to other leading political economies in Western Europe. Levy offers a historical explanation, centered on the legacies of France's postwar statist or dirigiste economic model. Although this model was dismantled decades ago, its policy, party-political, and institutional legacies continue to fuel the contestation of liberalizing reforms today. Contested Liberalization offers a comprehensive analysis of French economic and social policy since the 1980s, including the Macron administration. It also traces the implications of the French case for contestation in East Asia and Latin America. Levy concludes by identifying ways that French liberalizers could diminish contestation, notably by adopting a more inclusive process and more equitable allocation of the costs and benefits of liberalizing reform. This book will interest scholars and students of political economy and comparative politics, especially those working on economic liberalization, French politics, and the welfare state.
1. Three legacies of dirigisme: the contested politics of economic liberalization in France; 2. From the dirigiste state to the social anesthesia state; 3. Liberalization without liberals: the French right's ambivalence toward economic liberalization; 4. Skinny politics: reforming alone; 5. Jupiter's limits: from initial achievements to the yellow vest crisis; 6. Rinse and repeat: a mitigated mea culpa and continued contestation; 7. 'Whatever it costs: Macron's statist response to the COVID-19 crisis; 8. Beyond contestation; Endnotes; Bibliography; Index.
Levy reveals why economic liberalization is so contested in France, with a comprehensive explanation of economic and social policy since the 1980s.
Jonah D. Levy's research focuses on French politics and political economy. He is the author of Tocqueville's Revenge: State and Society in Contemporary France (1999) and The State after Statism: New State Activities in the Age of Liberalization (2006). Levy is the Director of Berkeley's Center of Excellence in French and Francophone Studies.
'With lively prose and incisive analysis, this book demystifies
Europe's most mysterious political economy. Jonah Levy brings
vast knowledge and important comparative perspectives to his
forensic examination of why France has failed to liberalize as
fully as its neighbors. The result is not only a magisterial
overview of the French political economy across five decades but a
work that will interest anyone interested in how polities and their
policies change over time.' Peter A. Hall, Harvard University
'This is the most profoundly illuminating and depressing (but also
exciting) book on the French political economy written in recent
decades. It shows the sui generis nature of contemporary
France. And it stands alongside the work of Phillip Williams in the
1960s and of John Zysman in the 1980s as the most profound
interpretations of France.' David Soskice, London School of
Economics
'This is far and away the best single volume account, in English or
French, of the liberalization project in France and its challenges
and limitations. In this tour de force, Levy provides a
comprehensive, acute and often brilliant analysis of forty years of
contested liberalization 'without liberals', culminating in a
detailed account of the Macron presidency and its inept and rapid
retreat from liberalization.' Chris Howell, Oberlin College
'… this timely book will prove insightful to students of
comparative political economy, especially those with keen interests
in contemporary France. … Highly recommended.' T. D. Lancaster,
Choice
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
