France Today What do we need to know to make comparisons?

One of the most modern countries in the world It is a leader among European nations

France has 20 regions

Each region contains several “departements”

But France is roughly 17 1/2 times smaller than the United States

And with just over 60 1/2 million inhabitants, France is nearly five times less populated than the USA

It is therefore densely populated Although the population growth rate was only 0.37% in 2005 versus 0.92% in the US

It is a democracy The Republic’s President Nicolas Sarkozy is the Chief of State

But the head of government Is the Prime Minister Presently François Fillon Not the President, as in the USA

The French flag  Designed by artist Jacques Louis David In 1794  Born from the French revolution “cocarde”  blue and red are the colors of Paris. Red was also the color of Charlemagne  White the colors of the royal French family, but it was also associated to Joan of Arc

France is proud of its history It became unified in 486 Under Clovis

Charlemagne created the first schools in 800 The first French university, the Sorbonne was created in 1252

1789 saw The French Revolution

France suffered greatly with the two world wars

France is proud of its humanistic approach Everybody has national health University Education is free The population below poverty line is 6.5% versus 12% in the US Literacy is 99% versus 97% in the US

The Economic Aid (ODA) Given by both countries reflects this approach FRANCE  5.4 billion in 2002 USA  6.9 billion in 1997

France is environment conscious  Gas cost is about 3 times that of the USA  Public transport is subsidized by the government, so it is comparatively cheap  transport is fast and efficiently on time  Contrary to the US France signed the Kyoto Agreement to reduce carbon dioxide emissions

What is France’s economy like?  GDP per capita $33100 (2010)  GDP real growth 1.6 %  Labor force million  Lowest 10% earns 2.8 % of GDP  Highest 10% earns 25.1 of GDP (1995)  Inflation rate 1.9% in 2005  US GDP per capita $47200 (world’s highest)  US real growth rate 3.5%  US Labor force153.9 million  US Lowest 10% earns 1.8% of GDP  Highest 10% earns 30.5 % (1997) a lot more now.  Us Inflation rate 3.2% in 2005

France energy - import / export  France  exports $443.3 billion (2005)  imports $473.3 billion  Exports Electricity 72.2 billion kWh  Has practically no oil  Exports Natural Gas billion cu m  US  exports $927.5 billion  imports $1.727 trillion  Exports electricity billion  oil 7.61 million bbl/day  Imports more natural gas than it exports

France’s industries & agriculture  Machinery  Chemicals  Automobiles  Metallurgy  Aircraft  Electronics  Textiles  Food processing  Tourism  Wheat  Cereals  Sugar beets  Potatoes  Wines and grapes  Beef  Dairy products  Fish

How does France achieve these results with higher taxes than the US and a smaller military budget 2.6% of GDP workers have more bargaining power in France (strikes)

Taxes  Apart from gas taxes France has Value added taxes (TVA)  Highways are very good, but most are far from free  Income tax is higher than in the US. It can reach nearly 50%, but contrary to today’s US, the more you earn the more you pay

France’s social laws  A worker’s full time week is 35 hours  All workers are entitled to national health and get 5 weeks paid vacations per year  Unemployment, at 10% in 2005, seems much higher than in the US at 5.1% but hardly any workers are unwillingly part timers and remember France has half the percentage of population of the US under poverty line.

France gives a lot of help  To children  To education  To the unemployed  To immigrants  To low income families  To public transport  To ex-colonies and to the third world

Health service  is nationwide  It is cheaper than here  almost everybody has a complementary insurance, on top of “la sécurité sociale” so treatment and drugs are free to insured patients  Doctors still go visit the very sick at home  People choose their regular physician  The waiting list for organs is no worse than here  And they must do something right judging by the following results

Death rate  Although death rate is slightly higher than in the US with 9.08 per thousand versus 8.25  life expectancy is higher in France: a male can expect to live to 75.6 years versus years in the US and a female can expect to reach years versus years in the US

Infant mortality & fertility rate  Infant mortality France: 4.76 per thousand US 6.5 per thousand  Fertility rate France 1.85 per thousand US 2.08 per thousand

At age 18  In the US you are allowed to vote, to go to the army but you cannot drink in a bar  The French can do all, and strangely enough as drinking is allowed, it loses most of the attraction it has for youngsters in the US. In France Old people drink more than young ones.

Tourism in France With 75.1 million visitors per year France is the most visited country in the world, before Spain with 53.6 million and the US with 46.1 million

In conclusion  One of the biggest difference, I think, is one of priorities, in what we call quality of life. France doesn’t equate it to personal possessions, but to personal time spent on vacation, hobbies, entertainment or at the table with friends and family. To end on a funny remark, although French workers are the most productive in the world, the word WORKOHOLIC does not exist in the French language. The French seem to take the time to live, they enjoy a good meal