Neo-Bonapartism? A parallel between Nicolas Sarkozy and ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Neo-Bonapartism? A parallel between Nicolas Sarkozy and Napoleon III Sarkozy as well intervened heavily in the French business world. Matlack anticipated such a policy since the very next day of his election, reporting that “the market was rife with rumors reflecting expectations that Sarkozy may exercise a dirigiste industrial policy” (2007). As a matter of state, the pre-Sarkozy trend of the French rulers in that matter was rather a gradual detachment from the state-owned firms, pushing them into a market-oriented approach to increase their productivity. A noticeable example at this regard was the France Telecom case in the late 2000s. As explained by an investment banker in Paris, and reported by The Economist, "the tide was going in one direction for years, even the socialists privatized, we had less political interference and more financial savvy, but now we're stepping backwards" (2010). The trend is being reversed, yet new patterns of state involvement in private businesses appeared. As explained by the article cited above, “phone calls from the Elysée are becoming a frequent feature of French business”. It was notably the case for Vivendi which was lectured by the Elysee for not consulting it concerning its desire to acquire the Brazilian media company GVT, or Eutelsat’s boss who received a phone harangue from one of Sarkozy’s advisers for preferring a Chinese satellite to of one of the French Arianespace’s. However, it is worth mentioning at this regard that Sarkozy’s protectionism is not limited to the French territory, but is rather rooted in the European economic frame. At this point, his vision oversteps classical Bonapartism and enlarges the economic vital space of France to Europe. As explained by Clift, “recalling earlier ambitions to reinvent dirigisme on a European scale, Sarkozy is also a proponent of EU-level, neo-mercantilist trade and industrial policies, what he calls a “real” European industrial policy” (2008). The president is accordingly shaping a Neo-Bonapartist approach to industrial policy, enlarging it to regional groupings such as the European Union, and openly claiming A website dedicated to this project is available starting Dec 7 th 2010 at: http://www.aui.ma/personal/~Y.Assaoui/ 44
Neo-Bonapartism? A parallel between Nicolas Sarkozy and Napoleon III responsibility for it. It was the case when he declared to Le Monde the 5 th of September 2007 that “the state needs a new strategy within globalization”, while commenting the fusion of GDF and Suez (presently co-managed from its Brussels and Paris headquarters). From the latter, and from the rationale of regional groupings of competitiveness, the other leading powers are to be included into the dynamic. Such a strategy cannot be limited only to national (or regional) champions. As highlighted by the Program Director of the Warwick Taught Masters in International Political Economy, “Sarkozy’s neo-mercantilism is not confined to large French firms; he is committed to introducing a French “small business Act”, on the US model, giving preferential treatment to French small businesses in securing public contracts” (Clift, 2008). However, Sarkozy’s interventionist zeal in small businesses showed some limits, and especially when he intervened in favor of the catering sector via reducing its Value Added Tax from 19,6% to 5.5 %. This measure costed the “tax-payer € 2.4 billion a year” according to the Economist, and mostly “involved a fierce battle with the European Commission” (2010). The boom of consumption expected from this fiscal gift did not materialize, since the coupled effects of the inflation and the still high unemployment rate all over the country did not increase the part reserved to restaurant frequenting within the French familial budget. Having consequently followed an interventionist approach on some economic issues, one should not conclude that both Napoleon III and Sarkozy did not also extol the virtues of neo-liberalism. As explained previously, the emperor alternated the two approaches while the president used them simultaneously. Napoleon III was even recorded as the only French emperor who advocated the laisser-faire laisser-aller policy: “only once in its history has France A website dedicated to this project is available starting Dec 7 th 2010 at: http://www.aui.ma/personal/~Y.Assaoui/ 45
Page 1 and 2: Senior Capstone for International S
Page 3 and 4: Prologue Neo-Bonapartism? A paralle
Page 5 and 6: Neo-Bonapartism? A parallel between
Page 43: Neo-Bonapartism? A parallel between
Page 95 and 96:
Neo-Bonapartism? A parallel between
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
Conclusion Neo-Bonapartism? A paral
Page 101 and 102:
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
show all

Neo-Bonapartism? A parallel between Nicolas Sarkozy and ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?