Informing public debate
France Stratégie contributes to the public debate by carrying out original studies that give concrete expression to emerging issues, outline new concepts or statistical tools, deliver assessments which may challenge findings that have hitherto been taken for granted, and draw conclusions that inform the public debate.
In 2018, the topics for debate particularly included: a measure of social determinism which shows that unequal opportunities in France first and foremost concern unequal educational opportunities; a study on the changing composition of households and couples and its impact on our tax and benefit policies; an analysis of the root causes of mistrust, which puts forward solutions for opening expertise more widely up to the diversity of knowledge, in line with citizens' expectations and taking their doubts into account; "local issues workshops"; and a mapping of skills that can be used in different jobs to serve the roll-out of policies for securing lifelong career paths. France Stratégie also studied other European countries’ results regarding the reduction of public spending.
Contributing to public action
Public policy makers need clarity in terms of both assessment and recommendations. At the Government's request or on its own initiative, France Stratégie carries out studies with that purpose in mind.
Among our 2018 contributions are a report outlining solutions following a wide-ranging analysis of the barriers to seniors staying in or getting back to work – primarily the negative perceptions associated with age, health and working conditions; a report which anticipates the impact artificial intelligence is having on work in three sectors: transport, banking and health; and a report setting out suggestions for bringing exercise and sport within everyone's reach and attaining the Government's target of a further 3 million people doing exercise and sport by the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. Two original studies on the future of renewable gas and the reasons behind China's success in electric vehicles have also provided the Government's policy makers with food for thought.
Evaluating public policies
France Stratégie has become a substantial contributor to the evaluation of public policies. We coordinate the ex post evaluation of a certain number of public policies and draft opinions on them. We also invest in the field of evaluation methodology. Among the assessments published in 2018: the evaluation of the competitiveness and employment tax credit (CICE) – the sixth such exercise since the CICE monitoring committee was set up at France Stratégie in 2013 – and the evaluation of the recent labour law reform, entrusted in November 2017 to a committee managed by France Stratégie. The independent monitoring committee which the Government has tasked with evaluating the capital taxation reforms was set up at France Stratégie at the end of 2018, in coordination with the Council of Economic Analysis (CAE). In October 2018, the Minister for Solidarity and Health also entrusted France Stratégie with evaluating the Government’s strategy to fight against poverty.
France Stratégie has also coordinated a cycle of seminars on the methods for assessing the impact of public policies, in partnership with various research labs and institutions. Nearly 1,300 participants attended this cycle in 2018.
All of this made 2018 another fruitful year for France Stratégie’s contribution to informing the general public and to public policy making through its studies, policy proposals and assessments.
