Structural evolution
It is also necessary to look for less temporary causes of the improvement in external payments within the country’s structural evolution. The text of the Fourth Plan, published in November 1961, states in this regard that the…
Economic growth in western countries
Economic history, from the end of the reconstruction period—that is, since 1950—is profoundly different from that of the interwar period. Industrialized capitalist countries have experienced, for more than fifteen years, a ve…
Economic balance periods
The essential difference between the “balance” of the period 1950–1958 and that of 1958–1965 must be found in the results achieved in external payments. From 1959 onward, the current account balance not only remained in equil…
Inflationary imbalances
For several years, Western countries—and particularly within the OECD—have discussed the conditions required for “sound expansion” or “balanced growth.” Countries such as France and Great Britain, which did not benefit from l…
Fundamental choices
From 1947 onward, fundamental economic decisions were guided by planning, making it unlikely that the success of French trade after 1958 can be attributed solely to a continuous short-term policy “miracle.” The Third Plan emp…
The plan and stabilization policy
It remains to highlight the contradictions that emerged between the objectives of development planning (the Fourth Plan and later the Fifth Plan) and stabilization policy. It now appears evident that, in seeking to achieve in…
Market economy policies
Implementing this type of policy is not easy within a market economy, even when there is a genuine political will to do so. It is also important to consider the difficulties currently faced by the French plan, whose objective…
Planning and Growth
Beyond cyclical difficulties and the imbalances encountered by the French economy along its path, since 1950 the overall results can be considered satisfactory. With an average annual GDP growth rate of around 4.5%, France ra…
French plans: the second plan
The need to increase the productivity of enterprises, improve professional training, and organize markets was strongly emphasized. Global objectives were established: national output was expected to grow by 25 percent and ind…
The evolution of production
Agricultural production
Despite the failures of monetary policy, production increased fairly rapidly between 1945 and 1949. This recovery did not occ…