essay

Study Questions:

· How does the French welfare system  provide for the basic needs of  French society?

· Name one advantage and one disadvantage to the State's role in holding employers accountable for the welfare of their employees.

· Why is part-time work more difficult to find in France than in the US?

· Why do French bosses prefer to give bonuses and other perks rather than raises?.

· What perks are considered basic rights in France that Americans might tend to regard as luxuries?

In Chapter 18, N-B describe the French social safety net that includes welfare, family assistance, health, unemployment, retirement and disability benefits: Social Security (la Sécurité sociale).  Although it is not a state-run system in the absolute sense, the French government maintains control over its revenues through taxation, spending programs, and joint management negotiations with the labor unions. Since universal health coverage was introduced in 2000, all but about 1% of French society members are covered -- or are not excluded (exclus). As N-B point out, the system is huge and rather unwieldy; however, its biggest drawback is the burden it places on employers to cover the costs of their employees (pp. 248-9). As a  consequence of the high costs, hiring is kept to a minimum and unemployment remains high in France. Salaried employees end up receiving bonuses rather than raises, which hurts them when it comes time to retire (p. 258). A salaried employee in France generally has a full-time job, since part-time work is more difficult to find. Companies of 50 employees or more are expected by the State to provide some sort of meal plan (a cafeteria or restaurant  vouchers) and are encouraged to give their employees holiday vouchers (chèques-vacances) to be used during their five weeks of annual paid vacation. What is strikingly different in France from the average situation in Anglo-American companies is the way in which these perks are perceived: for the French they are considered basic rights, whereas Anglo-Americans tend to regard them as luxuries (p. 260).

For more information on the French Social Security System, visit: