Flying On One Wing: The French Welfare State Today

The welfare state has always been under attack—by socialists, as something that falls short of socialism; by free marketeers, as socialistic. For twenty years, knowledgeable observers have been predicting its demise. What is its condition today? Is it moribund, or capable of showing new vitality?

The main threat to the welfare state is unemployment. The founders of the welfare state saw full employment as one of its two main pillars: full employment would provide the revenue for soci...