“A Spring Without a Summer”: The Political Failure of Neoliberalism (1984–2012)

Brookes, Kevin

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-82188-3_6

Kevin Brookes⁴

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism ((PASTCL))

281 Accesses
1 Citations

Abstract

This chapter aims to illustrate the history of the failure to constitute a neoliberal movement in France. It shows how difficult it was for actors committed to neoliberalism to make themselves heard within the partisan framework. In addition to the structural characteristics of the French political system, there were also situational elements that acted as obstacles to the spread of neoliberal ideas. Our analysis, based on primary sources (archives, interviews, press articles) led us to identify three main contingent obstacles to the spread of neoliberal ideas in France. First, the most striking aspect of the history of French neoliberalism since 1974 is certainly its fragmentation into numerous groups with divergent ideas, strategies and personalities. While the multiplication of initiatives proved beneficial in other contexts, this was not the case in the French setting. Paradoxically, this multiplication worked to hamper the visibility of these initiatives as well as their long-run survival. Whether for ideological or personal reasons, there was no real neoliberal movement so much as a poorly-defined cloud of activists that often spilled over into conservative networks. Secondly, a strategic inadequacy on the part of many activists that were too radical in their defence on their ideas and too theoretical to gain a political influence outside the fringes of the French right. Thirdly, an absence of legitimate leaders and a tendency towards divisions and personal quarrels among these policy activists, both in think tanks and in politics. While groups of neoliberal intellectuals were mobilised in the run-up to the elections in the mid-1980s, setting what was called at that time “a liberal spring,” their influence on actual policy remained confined between 1986 and 1988, the time when right-wing parties and organisations were the most keen to implement neoliberal policies (influenced by Thatcher and Reagan Experience). Little by little, the influence of the neoliberals on the orientation of the French right faded away: representatives of neoliberalism in the political arena (such as Alain Madelin) failed to constitute a political coalition with the potential to promulgate neoliberal theses on the right, due notably to strong internal divisions, corruption and the absence of unquestionable leaders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Chapter: USD 29.95; Price excludes VAT (USA)

eBook: USD 89.00; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Softcover Book: USD 119.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Hardcover Book: USD 119.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

1.
«Pour la France faire équipe. Conseil National du 15 novembre 1986 au Palais des congrès à Paris», Parti Républicain, 1986.
2.
Interview with Henri Lepage, 16th May 2012.
3.
Interview with Pascal Salin, 27th May 2012. He was also extremely optimistic about the state of liberalism in France at the time: «there was a feeling that the Liberal Revolution was on its way».
4.
«Un groupe de réflexion économique est créé auprès de Monsieur Balladur», Le Monde, 6th June 1986.
5.
Hervé Dumez et Alain Jeunmaitre, «Responsabiliser les médecins», Le Monde, 7th october 1986.
6.
Parti Républicain, «Bienvenue au Parti Républicain», livret d’accueil, 1986, Bibliothèque Nationale. Documents de propagande 4—LB61–1734.
7.
François Léotard, Alain Madelin, Gérard Longuet, André Giraud, Jacques Douffiagues, Hervé de Charrette, Jean-Jacques Descamps, Philippe de Villiers et Claude Malhuret. Cf. «La preuve par Neuf !», Le Journal des Républicains, 8, avril-mai 1986.
8.
Entretien d’Alain Madelin avec Jérôme Perrier.
9.
«In a market where the behaviour of millions of individuals interacts, where billions of pieces of information are combined, the real answer—we are rediscovering it today—consists of more freedom and autonomy for the actors of economic life». This is a direct borrowing from the Hayekian theory of knowledge. Cf. (Hayek, 1949).
10.
Il aurait déclaré à un dirigeant d’entreprise: «Ne comptez pas sur moi, je ne suis pas guichetier». Cf. Christine Mital, «Un Ministre iconoclaste», Le Monde, 25th April 1987.
11.
Eric Le Boucher, «Aides anticipées pour les industries en difficulté», Le Monde, 16th April 1986.
12.
Claire Blandin, «Alain Madelin, le libéral piégé», Le Monde, April 25th 1987.
13.
For an overview of his speech legitimising his action as head of the Ministry of Industry, see Alain Madelin, «La nouvellle prospérité», Le Monde, November 13^th 1986.
14.
«M. Madelin assure que les salaires des trois mois à venir seront payés», Le Monde, June 27th 1986.
15.
«Les universitaires de la majorité déçus par le projet Devaquet», Le Monde, June 18th 1986. Alain Madelin summarises it this way, «It was not at all the liberal reform that we wanted», Interview given to Jérôme Perrier.
16.
Claire Blandin, «Alain Madelin, le libéral piégé», Le Monde, April 25th 1987.
17.
Eric Le Boucher, «Les déconvenues du libéralisme», Le Monde, May 13th 1986.
18.
«Régions minières 384 millions de francs pour la réindustrialisation», Le Monde, November 27th 1987.
19.
Interview of Jérôme Perrier with Alain Madelin.
20.
Édouard Balladur, «Le sérieux doit tempérer le libéralisme», Le Monde, June 24th 1986.
21.
Thomas Ferenczi, «Le temps qui change l’équivoque libérale», Le Monde, May 25th 1987.
22.
«La " bande à Léo " préfère vivre avec l’UDF plutôt que de mourir avec le RPR», Le Monde, November 15th 1986.
23.
Daniel Carton, «Chirac courroucé par la bande à Léo sous l’œil ravi des partisans de Barre», Le Monde, December 21st 1986. See also (Branca, 1998).
24.
Le Matin, December 8^th 1986.
25.
They show that the fixed exchange rate regime has not prevented major crises, while the floating rate is an effective tool to fight inflation. «M. Balladur recalé par Milton Friedman», Le Monde, March 22nd 1988; Pascal Salin, «La boussole des changes flottants», Le Monde, March 28th 1988.
26.
SOFRES poll published in Le Nouvel Observateur, June 20th 1986.
27.
Pierre Servent, «Réunion du comité directeur du PR Les libéraux ne veulent pas hériter du "mistigri des insuffisances gouvernementales"», Le Monde, January 23rd 1987; Daniel Carton, «Le tour de France des ministres du PR Les libéraux écoutent, expliquent, mobilisent… et font entendre leur différence», Le Monde, March 31st 1987.
28.
Jean-Pierre Soisson, «Raymond Barre, ici et maintenant», Le Monde, June 3rd 1987.
29.
Daniel Carton, «Chirac courroucé par la bande à Léo sous l’œil ravi des partisans de Barre», Le Monde, December 21st 1986.
30.
Thierry Bréhier, «La hâte du gouvernement, le souhait de lenteur des socialistes», Le Monde, April 19th 1986.
31.
Daniel Carton, «L’embrouille libérale», Le Monde, April 18th 1987; Pierre Servent, «Barristes et «bande à Léo». Cessez-le-feu», Le Monde, March 24th 1987.
32.
«Réactions à la crise politique Léotard-Chirac», le Monde, June 9th 1987; Daniel Carton, «M. François Léotard renonce à sa propre candidature», Le Monde, September 1st 1987.
33.
Marie-Paule Viard, «La majorité a oublié ses clubs», La Vie Française, August 18th 1986.
34.
Courrier Quotidien d’Alain Dumait, n° 5, 21 mars 1986.
35.
Courrier Quotidien d’Alain Dumait, n° 9, 27 mars 1986; Interview of Alain Madelin by Jérôme Perrier.
36.
Interview of Alain Madelin by Jérôme Perrier.
37.
«So we had to be ready. Following the same logic, I was hostile to massive subsidies to industry, but on the other hand in favour of taxation that was favourable to industry, as well as a policy that favoured competition. This is why Pascal Salin’s help as a tax advisor was invaluable to me, and Henri Lepage’s help on competition issues was equally valuable. In particular, I entrusted him with an important mission on the price of electricity (a subject that is still relevant today). EDF had a doctrine (marginal cost pricing) that I found questionable. Henri Lepage was instrumental in challenging this doctrine.»
38.
«Contre les «privatisations dirigées», December 1st 1987, le Monde,.
39.
Jacques Garello, Lettre ouverte à nos dirigeants, (pref. Louis Pauwels), Paris, Albatros, 1986.
40.
Pascal Salin, «Alternance ou changement historique ?», Le Figaro, March 16th 1986. See also Pascal Salin, «La cohabitation pourquoi faire», Le Figaro, Janury 7th 1986.
41.
René de Laportalière, «Des ministres libéraux», pour quoi faire ?», Le Journal des Républicains, n° 8, p. 18.
42.
«Libéralisme: le Printemps attendra», L’Express, September 2nd 1986.
43.
Le Courrier quotidien d’Alain Dumait, n° 9–10, March 23rd 1986.
44.
Pascal Salin, «La baisse des impôts, vous y croyez ? Nous non plus», Le Figaro Magazine, September 16th 1986.
45.
Jacques Garello, “Ce budget social que personne ne votera”, Marianne, p. 14–15, December 1986.
46.
Pascal Salin, «Le Programme Balladur», 26 septembre 1986; Jacques Garello, “1987: une année décisive”, Marianne, January 1987, pp. 20–21.
47.
«Trois questions à Jacques Garello», Le Figaro Magazine, le March 7th 1987.
48.
Michel Kajmaan, «Les " états généraux " du libéralisme M. Madelin déplore le silence des intellectuels libéraux», Le Monde, March 17th 1987.
49.
Frédéric Gaussen, «Le Colloque des Cercles universitaires Triste anniversaire», Le Monde, March 16th 1987; Dossier «Les Etats Généraux du libéralisme. Le libéralisme: un après… un an avant ?», colloque du lundi 16 mars 1987 à la Maison de la Chimie», ALEPS archives.
50.
Interview of the author with Gérard Longuet.
51.
«Alain Madelin: le libéralisme, ça marche». Célébrant le 16 mars 1986, le délégué général du parti républicain se dit «très fier» de l’action accomplie», L’Aurore, March 18th 1987.
52.
We used the Europresse database by entering each of the names of the New Economists group that signed their 1978 manifesto (see Brookes, 2018), as well as the keyword “New Economists” for each year between 1978 and 2012. We have distinguished between the opinion pieces they wrote themselves, and the articles that refer to them. We are well aware of the limits of this methodology for measuring the media influence of this group, and in particular of the restricted nature of the corpus limited to the newspaper Le Monde. However, as this newspaper is considered a “newspaper of record,” it can probably be considered a proxy for national press coverage.
53.
We have not weighted this indicator according to the election results for this indicator.
54.
«Analysant la campagne présidentielle M. Madelin estime que M. Mitterrand “a occupé seul le terrain d’une conception centriste et libérale du pouvoir”», Le Monde, August 4th 1988.
55.
Daniel Carton, «A l’UDF Que faire de la victoire des “hommes du centre” ?», Le Monde, June 14th 1986; see also Matthias Bernard, «1988–1996: la Présidence de Valéry Giscard d’Estaing», in Gilles Richard, Sylvie Guillaume et Jean-François Sirinelli (éd.), Histoire de l’UDF: L’Union pour la démocratie française, 1978–2007, Rennes, PU Rennes, 2013, p. 64.
56.
Interview of the author with Gérard Longuet.
57.
Alain Madelin, «Pourquoi je soutiens Chirac», Le Figaro, January 20th 1995.
58.
Laurent Mauduit, «Alain Madelin renouvelle sans heurts les directions de son ministère», Le Monde, July 21st 1995; Erik Izraelwicz, «L’échec des trois stratégies de Jacques Chirac», Le Monde, August 28th 1995.
59.
Pascal Salin, «Libéraux contre conservateurs», Le Monde, August 28th 1995.
60.
Pascal Salin, «L’échec économique et moral d’Alain Juppé», Le Monde, September 25th 1996.; see also «Eric Le Boucher, «Une "pureté" idéologique mise à mal», Le Monde, August 28th 1995.
61.
«Parti Républicain: une ténébreuse affaire», Le Point, October 9th 1993.
62.
Denis Robert, «La justice s’intéresse au patrimoine de Gérard Longuet», Libération, April 26th 1994.
63.
Le Monde, May 27th 1994.
64.
«La démission de Gérard Longuet», le Figaro, October 15th 1994.
65.
«Non-lieu général dans l’affaire du financement du Parti républicain», le Monde, March 9th 2010.
66.
Notably, he was indicted in 1992 in the Port-Fréjus affair for interference, influence peddling and corruption as president of the mixed economy company of the Fréjus area, where he allegedly drew private benefits from his position together with close relatives. Alain Rollat, Robert armoz, «Renvoi en correctionnelle ou non-lieu. Les rapports de police et d’expertise laissent ouvertes les suites judiciaires visant M. Léotard dans l’affaire de Port-Fréjus», Le Monde, November 5th 1992.
67.
He was indicted with his chief of staff Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres for money laundering and breaking the law on the financing of political parties. In June 1996, they had disguised a cash deposit of 5 million francs (from the secret funds of the Balladur government) as a bank loan of the same amount with a disreputable French-Italian bank, the Fondo. He was sentenced in 2004 to a ten-month suspended prison term for illegal financing of a political party and money laundering. Renaud Lecadre, «Face au juge, Thierry Jean-Pierre contraint d’assumer «une connerie», Libération, April 21st 1999; Pascale Robert-Diard, «MM. Léotard et Donnedieur de Vabres condamés au Procès du Fondo», le Monde, February 18th 2004.
68.
Eric Zemmour, «Madelin: «il est de notre rôle de chercher à réconcilier les uns et les autres», le Figaro, September 4th 1998.
69.
Daniel Carton, “La “bande à Léo» s’affiche», Le Monde, November 10th 1986.
70.
Eric Zemmour, “Le libéralisme d’Alain Madelin est avancé», Le Figaro, October 15th 1997; «Vanessa Schneider, «Madelin: «Il faut oser le débat sur la drogue», Libération, October 17th 1997.
71.
Jean-Paul Mulot, «Gilles de Robien: Pourquoi je suis candidat», Le Figaro, June 19th 1997.
72.
Vanessa Schneider, «Madelin s’aloigne de l’UDF pour ne pas la ‘diviser». Il appelle de nouveau à la création d’un «grand rasseblement libéral», Libération, May 4th 1998.
73.
«Madelin est «l’enfant de chœur de Le Pen», Le Figaro, August 15th 1998; Gilles de Robien, «Pourquoi j’ai démissionné», Le Monde, August 22nd 1998.
74.
“Alain Madelin: Mes dix choix pour changer la France», Le Figaro, May 17th 1998.
75.
«Alain Madelin à l’horizon de 2002», Le Figaro, December 15th 1997; Vanessa Schneider, «Madelin en campagne pour… 2002», Libération, December 1997.
76.
Sylvie-Pierre Brossollette, «Madelin: horizon 2002», Le Figaro Magazine, October 3rd 1998.
77.
His party included many personalities who did not share his “complete” liberalism and who opposed the PACS, unlike him who abstained. Cf. Eric Mandonnet et Romain Rosso, “Madelin à l’école des chefs», L’Express, 15 octobre 1998; Nicolas Domenach, «Les modernes ont des gueules d’archaïques», Marianne, January 18th 1999.
78.
Dominique Alice Royer, “Madelin: le libéral aux deux visages», Témoignage Chrétien, October 8th 1998; Eric Mandonnet et Romain Rosso, «Madelin à l’école des chefs», L’Express, October 15th 1998; «Les impulsions»» de Madelin», Le Figaro, December 28th 1999; Eric Mandonnet, «Les cogitations élyséennes de Madelin», L’Express, February 24th 2000.
79.
He repeats that, “Before being an economic approach, the liberal choice is first and foremost a profoundly political choice, with philosophical, ethical, legal and institutional dimensions.” cf. Cécile Chambraud, “Alain Madelin reste partagé entre droite et libéralisme», Le Monde, 20 octobre 1998.
80.
His positions on the PACS, the decriminalisation of drugs, and the status of Corsica were at odds with his party members. Cf. «Alain Madelin lance une offre publique d’échange d’idées», Le Figaro, 15 janvier 1999; «Où va DL ?», Le Figaro, 16 décembre 1999. François Goulard déclare à propos du personnage: «Le contact avec Madelin n’est pas facile. C’est une litote de dire qu’il n’est pas d’un abord aimable.», in «» Les impulsions»» de Madelin», Le Figaro, 28 décembre 1990. As Gérard Longuet confided to us in an interview, "Alain [Madelin] has immense intellectual qualities and imagination, but he is neither a great organiser nor someone who loves voters, he is not interested in that…", interview with Gérard Longuet.
81.
Jean-Baptiste de Montvalon, “Pour Alain Madelin, l’» offre» présidentielle comporte «un centriste de trop» à droite», Le Monde, January 19th 2000.
82.
Vanessa Schneider, “Madelin essaie de se réconcilier avec son parti», Libération, March 8th2000.
83.
Jean-Baptiste de Montvalon, “Alain madelin envisage de quitter la présidence de DL après les municipales», Le Monde, September 22nd 2000.
84.
Jean-Michel Amitrand et Benjamin Neumann, «Madelin, le libéral solitaire», Libération, September 10th 2001.
85.
Sylvie-Pierre Brossollette, “Madelin prend le large», Le Figaro Magazine, December 2nd 2000.
86.
Jean-Louis Saux, “Alain Madelin veut en finir avec la «droite ringarde», Le Monde, December 3rd 2000.
87.
“DL, Madelin face au rejet de l’ultralibéralisme», Marianne, December 25th 2000.
88.
His turtleneck on the France 2 television news appeals to right-wing voters, while the speech in “Franglais” of the hall driver at his campaign launch meeting does not take. Cf. Stephane Sahuc, «Alain Madelin fait son cirque», L’Humanité, 24 novembre 2000; Luc Rozenwig, «Col roulé», Le Monde, January 20th 2001.
89.
Jean-Michel Amitrand et Benjamin Neumann, «Madelin, le libéral solitaire», Libération, September 10th 2001; José Fort, «Madelin l’Américain», L’Humanité, October 13th 2001.
90.
Jean-Baptise de Montavalon, “Alain Madelin cherche à séduire l’électorat de Charles Pasqua et Jean-Marie Le Pen», Le Monde, December 12th 2001.
91.
“Alain Madelin (UMP): “Il n’est pas possible de faire élire un libéral en 2007», Le Monde, January 30th 2006.
92.
«Alain Madelin rejoint la société d’intermédiation Triago-X», AFP, January 23rd 2006. He sometimes makes media appearances, as in 2011, when he gave the right-wing program a score of 0 out of 20: «Le libéral Alain Madelin décerne un «zéro sur vingt» au programme de l’UMP», Le Mondei, November 26th 2011.
93.
Judith Weintraub, «Les libéraux de l’UMP face à la tentation Sarkozy», Le Figaro, June 21st 2004. He notes a posteriori, in a bitter way: «I think that if the liberals entered the UMP after 2002, liberalism left it», Le Figaro Vox, November 28th 2014.
94.
«Alternative libérale sans Alain Madelin», Le Figaro, April 25th 2009.
95.
He said, for example, “In France, a strong state is the necessary condition for openness, freedom and decentralisation,” Le Monde.fr, June 4^th 2007.
96.
Etienne Schweisguth, Les valeurs et le vote, note sur la première vague d ‟enquête du Panel électoral Français du CEVIPOF 2007 (29 mars – 21 avril), tableau 7, p. 7.
97.
«Le discours de Nicolas Sarkozy à Toulon», Le Monde.fr, Septmber 25th 2008.
98.
Interview of the author with Jean-Jacques Rosa, Interview of the author with Jacques Garello.
99.
Interview of the author with Pascal Salin,
100.
Interview of the author with André Fourçans.
101.
Without being able to go into detail here, our interviews bring out more micro-sociological elements.
102.
These were around the question of social conservatism, because according to Guy Sorman in an interview given to the author “The exhalation of market autonomy in itself which is accompanied by very conservative morals, which we find in people like Garello or Pascal Salin I think, if you like, is not at all what I adhere to.” But they also concerned the relationship with the employers, because according to Jean-Jacques Rosa: “They assimilated the employers to the defence of liberal ideas. Already at the time, I wasn't clearly aware of this and I didn't agree with this analysis, because the bosses were totally opportunistic and what they saw was that they could increase profits at the end of the year and not what did or did not constitute a liberal organisation of society. So they were aping the bosses’ side. They were advocating conservatism, but on substantive issues they were not necessarily liberal.”.
103.
Interview of the author with Guy Plunier.
104.
Several people we interviewed mentioned the collapse of the New Economists circle.
105.
Interview of the author with Jacques Garello; Interview of the author with Guy Sorman.
106.
Interview of the author with Alain Madelin; Interview of the author with Gérard Longuet.
107.
Bertrand Lemennicier, for example, advocates Rothbardian aobolitionism on his website. Cf: «Stratégie vers la liberté», http://lemennicier.bwm-mediasoft.com/article_65_strategie-vers-la-liberte.html.
108.
Pascal Salin, “Eloge de Margaret Thatcher,” Le Figaro, November 29th 1988.
109.
Even if it were beyond the scope of this book, a quick analysis of the speeches of the socialist ministers of economy during the period 1981–1986 at the annual presentation of the budget shows an abandonment of the rhetoric of the break with capitalism and a growing adherence to the market economy. In 1983, Jacques Delors declared “Competition is not an ideology for me; it is interesting whenever it rewards the best, favours the consumer and allows exports.” Pierre Bérégovoy said in 1984, “Reducing the budget deficit will be one of our priority objectives and I will put into it the same determination that I am sometimes reproached for in the field of social security. The audacity consists in lowering taxes to stimulate initiative.” and “The State cannot do everything, but it must define the rules of the game. This is the economic philosophy that drives us.” We thank Koen Dahmuis for sending us these speeches and refer to his work: (Damhuis & Karremans, 2017);
110.
Philippe Brunet, «La difficile mutation du Club 89», Le Quotidien de Paris, October 10th 1986; Jean-Philippe Moinet, «Clubs 89: une plateforme présidentielle», Le Figaro, October 13th 1986.
111.
Joseph Macé-Scaron, «La grande rentrée des clubs», Le Figaro, October 24th 1986; Pierre-Dominique Cochard, «Une fondation libérale pour la France», Le Figaro Magazine, June 21st 1986; «La fondation de la liberté entre en action», Le Monde, October 28th 1986.
112.
Interview of the author with René de Laportalière.
113.
«Comptes de l’Institut Economique de Paris», Mars 1987. We thank Guy Plunier for sending us this document.
114.
The main person concerned relates the situation as follows: “The bosses had had a spirit of resistance, if you want, with 1986 there had been a spirit of resistance, and my papers basically participated in this spirit of resistance etc.… and in 1988, there was the re-election of Mitterrand and they all capitulated. They became collabos. The Institut de l'Entreprise was totally turned, they became collabos [collaborators], I mean: we had to avoid offending the Ministry of Finance. I was a neoliberal, they called us ultra-liberals… [silence].”
115.
“Un manifeste d’économistes pour le «non», Le Monde, September 16th 1992.
116.
“En vue d’une " grande réforme " dans les deux ans M. Balladur installe un groupe d’étude sur l’emploi”, Le Monde, May 11th 1993.
117.
«M. Madelin lance le mouvement Idées-Action», Le Monde, March 11th 1994.
118.
Joseph Macé-Scaron, «Le “parler vrai” d’Alain Madelin», Le Figaro, May 31st 1994.
119.
Among the signatories of the majority’s call for in-depth debates, we note the presence of actresses such as Liner Renault, directors such as Gérard Oury, business leaders or essayists such as Guy Sormann. Cf. “Alain Madelin invite la majorité à débattre», Le Monde, October 12th 1994.
120.
Anne Fulda, “Le contrat légilsatif d’Alain Madelin», Le Figaro, April 14th, 1997.
121.
Le Journal des Républicains, n° 5, octobre-novembre 1985; Guy Plunier spoke about his meetings with Bernard de la Rochefoucault: «Bertrand de la Rochefoucauld, from time to time, invited me to lunch to find out… he wondered how I managed with….The Paris Economic Institute, with its system of work and dissemination," interview of the author with Guy Plunier.
122.
However, there have been attempts around public choice theory with contributions from Jean-Dominique Lafay, François Facchini and Abel François.
123.
However, Guido Hülsmann, author of the most impressive biography of Ludwig Von Mises, should be mentioned (Hülsmann, 2007).
124.
A text was circulated during the agrégation competition questioning the impartiality of the jury and the scientific quality of the candidates selected after the first round. Cf. François Legendre et Yannick L’Horty, «Agrégation d’économie 2004: une affaire politique», L’Économie politique, 23–3, 2004, p. 8‑14; Emmanuel Davidenkoff et Laurent Mauriac, «OPA ultralibérale sur l’agrégation d’économie», Libération, February 24th 2004.
125.
François Krug, «Agnès Verider-Molinié. Egerie de la diète publique», Le Monde, January 27th 2017.
126.
Ibid.
127.
Benjamin Tainturier, Pour la liberté e-limitée, Internet et les institutions du libéralisme en France, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, 2017.
128.
Gaspard Kœnig de Génération Libre, Mathieu Laine d’Altermind, Cécile Philippe de l’IEM, Agnès Verdier Molinié. We should also mention the activism of new student groups such as Students for Liberty. Cf. Frank Dedieu, «Lees Nouveaux libéraux en embuscade», L’Expansion, October 3rd 2015.
129.
«Les ultralibéraux se désolent d’avoir perdu prise sur le monde», Le Monde, September 17th 2002.
130.
Sébastien Caré makes it out as one of the strengths of the libertarian movement in the United States, which has split into several factions with different strategies (Caré, 2010).
131.
In its reinterpreted version by Sébastien Caré (Caré, 2010; Lipset & Basu, 1975).

References

Amable, B., Guillaud, E., & Palombarini, S. (2012). L’économie politique du néolibéralisme le cas de la France et de l’Italie. Éditions Rue d’Ulm.
Google Scholar
Benassaya, P. (2007). Les hussards perdus de la république : l’échec de la droite libérale. Éditions François Bourin.
Google Scholar
Branca, É. (1998). Le roman de la droite: 1974–1998. Chronique d’un échec. Paris: JC Lattès.
Google Scholar
Bréchon, P. (1999). L'union RPR-DL au plus bas. Revue française de science politique, 49(4), 653–662. https://doi.org/10.3406/rfsp.1999.396251.
Brookes, K. (2018). “Les idées ont des conséquences”: la genèse internationale des think tanks néo-libéraux. Quaderni, 97, 35–55.
Google Scholar
Brookes, K. (2017). Un «libéralisme scientifique» contre les gauches. La réception du néo-libéralisme américain en France dans les années 1970. Raisons politiques, 67(Automne), 71–94.
Google Scholar
Brookes, K. (2016). Deux réseaux de promotion du néolibéralisme entremêlés dans les années 1960 et 1970 : L’ALEPS et le groupe des “nouveaux économistes”. In O. Dard, D. Barjot, F. Fogacci, & J. Grondeux (Eds.), Histoire de l’Europe Libérale. Libéraux et libéralisme en Europe, XVIIIe-XXIe siècle (pp. 245–264). Nouveau Monde Editions.
Google Scholar
Brookes, K., & Le Pendeven, B. (2014). «L’État innovant (1): renforcer les think tanks». In Innovation politique 2014 (pp. 387–425). Presses universitaires de France.
Google Scholar
Bourlanges, J.-L. (1988). Droite année zéro. Paris: Flammarion.
Google Scholar
Campbell, J. L., & Pedersen, O. K. (2014). The national origins of policy ideas: knowledge regimes in the United States, France, Germany, and Denmark. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Book Google Scholar
Caré, S. (2010). Les libertariens aux Etats-Unis. Sociologie d’un mouvement a-social. Presses universitaires de Rennes.
Book Google Scholar
Cercle de l’Odéon. (1986). La rupture: le libéralisme à l’épreuve des faits. A. Fourçans (Ed.). Paris: Économica.
Google Scholar
Culpepper, P. D., Hall, P. A., & Palier, B. (Eds.). (2006). La France en mutation. Presses de Sciences Po.
Google Scholar
Damhuis, K., & Karremans, J. (2017). Responsive to whom? A comparison of the Mitterrand and Hollande presidencies. West European Politics, 40(6), 1267–1287. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2017.1300472.
Donegani, J. M., & Sadoun, M. (2006). «Chapitre VI—1958–1992. Le Jeu des institutions». In J. F. Sirinelli (Ed.), Histoire des droites en France. Politique (pp. 391–490). Paris: Gallimard.
Google Scholar
Freeman, G. P. (1992). «L’Etat-providence: crise financière et continuité politique». In P. Hall, J. Hayward, & H. Machin (Ed.), L’évolution de la vie politique française, Recherches politiques (pp. 255–272). Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.
Google Scholar
Gaïti, B. (1990). Des ressources politiques à valeur relative: le difficile retour de Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Revue française de science politique, 40(6), 902–917. https://doi.org/10.3406/rfsp.1990.394527.
Geuens, M. (2009). https://doi.org/10.4000/quaderni.502.
Haegel, F. (2012). Les droites en fusion: transformations de l’UMP. Paris: Presses de Sciences Po.
Google Scholar
Hall, P.A. (1990). The state and the market. In P. Hall, J. Hayward, & H. Machin (Eds.), Developments in French politics. Macmillan.
Google Scholar
Hayek, F. A. (1949). The intellectuals and socialism. The University of Chicago Law Review, 16(3), 417–433.
Article Google Scholar
Hülsmann, J. G. (2007). Mises: The last knight of liberalism. Auburn: Ludwig von Mises Institute.
Google Scholar
Jobert, B. (1994). Le tournant néo-libéral en Europe : idées et recettes dans les pratiques gouvernementales. L’Harmattan.
Google Scholar
Levy, J. D. (2005). Redeploying the state: Liberalization and social policy in France. In W. Streeck & K. Thelen (Eds.), Beyond continuity: Institutionnal change in advanced political economies. Oxford University Press.
Google Scholar
Lipset, S. M., & Basu, A. (1975). Des types d’intellectuels et de leurs rôles politiques. Sociologie et sociétés, 7(1), 51–90.
Google Scholar
Massart, A. (1999). L’Union pour la démocratie française (UDF). Paris: L’Harmattan.
Google Scholar
Massart, A. (2013). «1981–1988: les difficultés des relations entre UDF et RPR». In G. Richard, & S. Guillaume, & J.-F. Sirinelli (Ed.), Histoire de l’UDF: l’Union pour la démocratie française, 1978–2007. Rennes, France: Presses universitaires de Rennes.
Google Scholar
Merrien, F.-X. (2007). L’État-providence. Presses universitaires de France.
Book Google Scholar
Palier, B. (2002). De la crise aux réformes de l’État-providence: Le cas français en perspective comparée. Revue Française De Sociologie, 43(2), 243–275.
Article Google Scholar
Palier, B. (2005). Gouverner la sécurité sociale : les réformes du système français de protection sociale depuis 1945. Presses Universitaires de France.
Book Google Scholar
Perrier, J. (2015). https://doi.org/10.3917/hp.025.0176.
Sauger, N. (2003). «Les scissions de l’UDF (1994–1999): unité et dissociation des partis, mécanismes de transformation de l’offre partisane Sauger, Nicolas (1976-....)». PhD Thesis in Political Science, Institut d'études politiques de Paris, 2003.
Google Scholar
Schmidt, V. A. (1996). From state to market?: The transformation of French business and government. Cambridge University Press.
Google Scholar
Sirinelli, J. F. (Ed.). (2006). Histoire des droites en France. Paris: Gallimard.
Google Scholar
Vail, M. I. (1999). «The better part of valour: The politics of French welfare reform». Journal of European Social Policy, 9(4), 311–329.
Google Scholar
Ysmal, C. (1984). Demain la droite. Paris: Grasset.
Google Scholar

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Sciences Po Grenoble, Grenoble, France
Kevin Brookes

Authors

Kevin Brookes
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Brookes, K. (2021). “A Spring Without a Summer”: The Political Failure of Neoliberalism (1984–2012). In: Why Neo-Liberalism Failed in France. Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82188-3_6

Download citation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82188-3_6
Published: 02 November 2021
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-82187-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-82188-3
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics