"Denounced for decades as a millstone preventing growth and competitiveness, particularly by free-market advocates in the United States, the French government’s dominant role in economic activity has suddenly found new favor at home and grudging respect abroad.” To be sure, the French economy, like most all developed Western economies, is on the downswing, with up to 3 million new unemployed workers hitting the dole by year’s end. “But the French economy is expected to shrink by just 3 percent, markedly less than in Britain or Italy, largely because of the country’s traditionally high level of government spending."
— Rich People Things: The Great Lie About Social Security And France | The Awl (via offnotesnotes)