There is a popular view, often seen or heard in the media, that the French economy is somehow vastly different in its operation from other modern economies. France is even sometimes depicted as a something close to a rogue economy, where workers are constantly on strike, businesses are held hostage to all powerful unions, and free enterprise is virtually impossible.

有一种流行的观点，经常看到或听到媒体，认为法国经济在某种程度上是与其他现代经济的运作大不相同。法国甚至有时描绘成接近无赖经济的东西，那里的工人都在不断罢工，企业挟持到所有强大的工会，和自由企业几乎是不可能的。

 Like most myths, the rogue economy myth - largely perpetrated by people with an axe to grind, or by outside commentators who have never set foot in the country - has only a little grounding in reality; but like all myths it is a caricature where weaknesses are blown out of all proportion, and strengths swept under the carpet.  For all its weaknesses - and its strengths - the French economy is alive and well, and performing above average in G20 terms.

像大多数的神话一样，流氓经济神话 - 人们在很大程度上与犯下别有用心，或者谁从来没有涉足国外的评论家 - 只有在现实一点接地;但像所有的神话是掩盖住一个讽刺的弱点在哪里吹完全不成比例，和长处。对于所有的弱点 - 和它的强项 - 法国经济是活得很好，并且在G20方面的表现高于平均水平。

Like all developed economies, France has suffered since 2007 from the effects of the global recession; but the effects in France have been partly cushioned by a more cautious banking and investment sector, and by a tradition of state intervention in the economy. In addition, France is world-leader when it comes to the proportion of the labour force working in public sector jobs: 25% in 2005 - few of whom were affected by the economic downturn.

  像所有的发达经济体，法国自2007年以来从全球经济衰退的影响，遭受;但在法​​国的影响已经通过了更为谨慎的银行和投资界被部分缓冲，并通过国家干预经济的传统。此外，法国是世界领先的，当涉及到劳动力在公共部门就业工作的比例：25％，2005年 - 其中一些人受经济衰退。

Perceived strengths of the French economy

法国经济的感知优势

In many sectors, the French economy is among the strongest in the world. France is among the leading industrial economies in the automotive, aerospace, and railways sectors, as well as in cosmetics, luxury goods, insurance, pharmaceuticals, telecoms, power generation, defence, agriculture and hospitality. France is also the world's leading tourist destination。 在许多领域，法国经济是世界上最强的之一。法国是在汽车，航空航天工业主要经济体之间，和铁路部门，以及在化妆品，奢侈品，保险，医药，电信，电力，国防，农业和好客。法国也是世界著名的旅游胜地。

 Regarding its labor market, France has one of the highest levels of graduates, and the highest number of science graduates per 1000 workers of any European country.
关于它的劳动力市场上，法国有毕业生的最高水平之一，科学的最高人数每1000工人任何一个欧洲国家的毕业生。

In the years following the second world war, the French economy developed massively from a largely agrarian economy with over 40% of the population still living on the land, into a modern industrial economy with world-class coprorations and business leaders.  In the years 1945 - 1975, known as "les trente glorieuses", the French economy grew by an average of 4.1% in terms of GDP per inhabitant, far faster than the USA or the UK though slower than Germany or Japan. The French state - which for most of this time was in the hands of Conservatives - played an active role through the establishment of a series of four year plans (Contrats de plan), whereby the state set economic targets and economic priorities, but left it up to private enterprise to achieve or apply them. For example, the rapid development of the French motorway system was achieved (and is still being achieved) by public investment offset by the sale of long-term concessions to private or semi-private companies to operate and maintain them.

在第二次世界大战后的几年中，法国经济从主要是农业经济发展大规模的人口仍然生活在陆地上的40％以上，成为现代工业经济与世界一流coprorations和商界领袖。在多年的1945年至1975年，被称为“LES黄金三十年”，法国经济在人均国内生产总值，远远高于美国和英国虽然比德国或日本更慢的速度方面平均增长4.1％。法国国家 - 这对于大部分时间是在保守派手中 - 通过建立一系列的四个五年计划（Contrats德计划），从而使该国设定的经济目标和经济优先事项方面发挥了积极作用，但离开它到民营企业实现或应用它们。例如，法国的高速公路系统的快速发展达到了（并仍在实现）的公共投资通过出售长期优惠的私人或半私人公司操作和维护他们所抵消。
    Between 1945 and 1986, political leaders from de Gaulle (a conservative) to Mitterrand (a socialist) embarked on policies of nationalisation and state intervention. 

1945年和1986年之间，距离戴高乐（保守）密特朗（社会主义）的政治领导人走上国有化和政府干预的政策。
     For de Gaulle, nationalisation was seen as a tool of economic development, guaranteeing a stable environment for key sectors of the French economy, but also ensuring support from his opponents on the left.  Car-maker Renault was nationalised by de Gaulle in 1945 as much to help it recover from the war, as to placate the Communist opposition and the unions.

对于戴高乐国有化被视为经济发展的工具，保证一个稳定的环境，为法国经济的关键部门，也确保从他左边的对手的支持。汽车制造商雷诺是由戴高乐在1945年尽可能多的帮助它从战争中恢复，为安抚反对共产党和工会收归国有。
     For Mitterrand, nationalisation was ideological. During his first presidency, from 1981, Mitterrand initiated a series of nationalisations in a range of different sectors, including banking, insurance and pharmaceuticals. However, for his second presidency, he advocated the famous "ni-ni" doctrine (the neither nor doctrine), proposing neither nationalisation nor privatisation. In actual fact, this was a way of admitting the failure of his previous policy; during Mitterand's second presidency, France embarked on a wholescale policy of privatisation, which continued during the Chirac presidency, reaching its peak under the government of socialist prime minister Lionel Jospin.

对于密特朗国有化思想。在他的第一个总统任期，1981年，密特朗在一系列不同的行业，包括银行，保险和医药发起了一系列国有化的。然而，他的第二个总统任期，他倡导了著名的“妮妮”的学说（既不的学说也），既没有提出国有化，也不私有化。其实不然，这是承认他以前的政策的失败的一种方式;密特朗的第二个总统任期内，法国走上私有化wholescale政策，希拉克总统任期内继续进行，社会党总理若斯潘政府下达到高峰。
     Yet beyond the issue of nationalisation or privatisation, the French state has maintained an above-average ability to intervene in economic affairs, remaining a major shareholder in utilities such as EDF where it has a majority holding, or France Telecom (Orange), in which it has a 27% holding.

然而，超越国有化或私有化的问题上，法国政府一直保持在经济事务进行干预高于平均水平的能力，剩下的公用事业，如法国电力公司在那里拥有多数控股，或法国电信（橙色）的大股东，其中它拥有27％的股份。
     As a result of its hands-on approach to economic management, France has been able to ensure some remarkable economic success stories. Among the most visible of these is France's world-leading success in the field of rail infrastructure. France was the first country in the world to propose, plan and set up a dedicated high-speed rail network; today the country can boast the world's second most extensive high-speed rail network (after Spain), one which runs without interruption from the North Sea to the Mediterranean, and east-west from near the German border to the lower reaches of the Loire. State intervention in the automotive sector has helped Renault become one of the main world players; the French government still holds a 15% stake in Renault which, in turn, is the leading investor (almost 45%)  in Nissan.

作为其结果的实践方法，以经济管理，法国已经能够保证一些显着的经济成功的故事。其中最明显的是，这些法国的世界领先的铁路基础设施领域的成功。法国是世界上的第一个国家提出，计划，并成立了专门的高速铁路网;今天，国家可以从德国边境附近拥有世界上第二个最广泛的高速铁路网络（西班牙）后，其中一个运行，而无需从北海到地中海中断，和东西向卢瓦尔河下游。在汽车领域的国家干预，帮助雷诺成为世界主要的球员之一;法国政府仍持有雷诺15％的股份，这反过来，是日产领先的投资者（近45％）。
    When it comes down to hard facts, critics of state intervention in the French economy have to tread carefully.

     当它归结为铁的事实，在法国国家干预经济的批评家必须谨慎行事。

Perceived weaknesses of the French economy

法国经济的弱点感知

 Paradoxically, the extent of the French state's involvement in the economy has proved to be one of its main weaknesses, as well as one of its main strengths. In recent decades, the development of state favors and aid in certain economic sectors, along with the cost of major infrastructure programs and social services, have led to a huge increase in the budget of the French state. To finance its programs, the French government, like all others, has had to resort to increased taxation; but in France, a larger than usual proportion of this taxation has fallen on business, rather than on private individuals. 

奇怪的是，在经济中的法国政府的参与程度已被证明是它的主要弱点之一，以及其主要优势之一。近几十年来，国家主张的某些经济部门的发展和援助，以重大基础设施项目和社会服务的费用一起，导致了法国国家预算的大幅增加。为了资助其方案，法国政府，所有其他人一样，不得不求助于增加税收;但在法​​国，一个更大的比平常的比例征税这一下降的企业，而不是个人。
    French business is currently burdened by the world's highest level of payroll tax (cotisations sociales), which at 43% are far higher than in any other country. The next highest rates are found in Spain and the Czech Republic (30%), while businesses in the UK pay a payroll tax (NI contributions) of just 11%, and those in the USA just 5%.  In an increasingly global economy, this disparity is damaging for French industry, and is one of the perceived causes of endemic high unemployment in France. It has also led the French economy to suffer from offshoring, the export of jobs and manufacturing capacity to low-wage countries.

法国企业目前由全球的薪资税（cotisations sociales）最高水平，这在43％，远高于其他任何国家都高的负担。接下来的发病率最高在西班牙和捷克共和国（30％）发现，虽然商家在英国缴纳工资税仅为11％（NI捐款），而那些在美国只有5％。在日益全球化的经济，这个差距对损害法国工业，并且是流行的高失业率在法国的感觉原因之一。这也导致了法国经济从离岸外包作业的出口和制造能力，以低工资国家受苦。

    High tax burdens are particularly felt by small businesses. However numerous counter-measures have been introduced by successive governments to offset their effect; these include lower levels of payroll tax on workers paid at minimum wage, tax breaks for the hiring of young employees or apprentices, aids for employers in certain high-unemployment areas, and more. In all there are dozens of forms of aid available to companies – and that is a problem in itself, as finding one's way around the maze can be a daunting task. The system needs to employ hundreds of civil servants just for administration. "Simplification" is one of the most frequently heard demands made by small businesses in France.

  高税收负担是由小企业特别感觉。然而众多的反制措施已经出台历届政府来抵消其影响;其中包括上最低工资标准支付劳动者工资税较低水平，减税对于年轻的员工或学徒，艾滋病雇主在某些高失业率的地区，多雇用。在所有的有几十个可供公司援助的形式 - 这本身就是一个问题，因为发现周围的迷宫中一个人的方式可以是一个艰巨的任务。该系统需要雇用数百名公务员只是进行管理。 “简化”是小企业在法国最常听到的诉求之一。

Employee rights - though a great advantage from the employee's point of view - are seen as another weakness of the French system, specially by employers. Many aspects of France's social systems are piloted by complex management arrangements involving the state, management and the unions - referred to collectively as "les partenaires sociaux". Though less than 10% of workers in France belong to trade unions (far less than in the UK or the USA), unions wield considerable power through their role as partenaires sociaux. Thus, over the years, successive French governments of both the left and the right have given in to union demands in order to buy stability and popularity. The result is a system whereby employees in France enjoy a high level of job protection and guaranteed salary levels. In large corporations this is not too much of a problem; but in small businesses employers frequently hesitate to create jobs for fear of being unable to lay the new employees off without considerable penalties. Alternatively they outsource work to foreign suppliers rather than employ staff locally, or resort to temporary contracts rather than offering full-time permanent jobs. This situation also depresses salaries. All this is bad for employment, since in all developed economies, it is small businesses that create most of the new jobs. 

 员工权利 - 虽然但从员工的角度有很大的优势 - 被视为法国的系统的另一个弱点，特别是由雇主。法国的社会制度的许多方面是由涉及国家，管理复杂的管理安排与工会进行试点 - 统称为“LES partenaires sociaux”。虽然在法国的工人不到10％属于工会（远低于英国或美国），工会通过他们作为partenaires sociaux角色挥舞相当大的权力。因此，多年来，左，右两个历届法国政府都在考虑工会的要求，以购买的稳定性和知名度。其结果是一个制度，在法国的员工享受工作保护，并保证工资水平的较高水平。在大公司，这是不是一个太大的问题;但在小企业雇主经常犹豫，生怕暂时无法铺设新员工关没有相当的处罚创造就业机会。此外，他们还工作外包给外国供应商，而不是雇用当地员工，或求助于临时合同，而不是提供全职长工职位。这种情况也压低工资。这一切都是坏的就业，因为在所有的发达经济体，它是创造大部分新就业岗位的小型企业。

 Finally we come to those two big myths about the French economy; a) that the French are always on strike, and b) that the French work far less than other nations.

 最后我们来对法国经济的两大神话;一），法国总是罢工，和b），法国的工作远远低于其他国家。

 If a nation's workers were constantly on strike, that would be a serious economic handicap; fortunately this is not the case in France, and commentators who suggest otherwise are just making things up. According to the IMD survey of 2008, France continues to lose less days to strikes per 1000 inhabitants (3.67 days)  than either the UK (10.06) or the USA (5.67). The problem in France is that strikes are highly visible, because they tend to be concentrated in large public services and give rise to major protests and demonstrations in Paris.... within a few hundred yards of bureaux of  many of the world's main TV stations, press agencies, newspaper correspondents and other purveyors of news. When French public servants strike, the world knows all about it. Conversely the world never hears much about the vast majority of employees in France who never go on strike.

如果一个国家的工人不断的罢工，这将是一个严重的经济困难;幸运的是，这不是在法国的情况下，评论员，否则谁认为只是胡编。据2008年的调查IMD，法国将继续少天失去每1000个居民（3.67天）比任何英国（10.06），或美国（5.67）的罢工。在法国的问题是，罢工是非常明显的，因为他们往往​​集中在大型的公共服务，并导致在巴黎各大抗议和示威....世界上许多主要电视台的局几百码之内，新闻机构，新闻记者和新闻等传播者。当法国公务员罢工，全世界都知道这一切。相反的世界从来没有听到太多关于法国的绝大多数员工谁没有举行罢工。
    As for the perception that French workers work far less than their counterparts in other countries, that is not always the case. According to the International Labor Organization, management level employees in France work among the longest hours in Europe (almost 10% longer than in the UK), while the workforce works slightly below the European average, putting in comparable hours to workers in Sweden, but more than workers in the Netherlands, Norway or Denmark. OECD figures (2012) alo show that labor productivity in France, in terms of  GDP per hour worked, is among the highest in Europe (only exceeded by Benelux countries and Ireland), and only fractionally lower than in the USA. Thanks to this, France has up to now managed to remain a major exporting nation and one of the top six economies in the world.

至于人们认为法国工人工作远小于其在其他国家的，这并非总是如此。据国际劳动组织，在法国经营管理水平的员工在欧洲（除英国长近10％）的时间最长之间的工作，而员工的工作稍低于欧洲平均水平，投入在可比的小时工人在瑞典，但超过荷兰，挪威和丹麦工人。经合组织的数字（2012）ALO表明在法国的劳动生产率，在国内生产总值计算，每小时的工作，是欧洲最高的（仅比荷卢三国和爱尔兰超标）之间，只比美国略低。由于这一点，法国有到现在管理仍然是一个主要的出口国，在世界前六的经济体之一。

In the end, perhaps the main perceived weakness of the French economy is that it is not run on quite the same model as what the French refer to as the "Anglo-Saxon" economies. This does not make it intrinsically less successful, just different, though not so very different. France is home to many world-scale corporations; it has its millionnaires and its entrepreneurs, several of the best business schools in Europe, its rich and its poor. However the gap between the rich and poor is not as flagrant as it is in many other countries, and the French want to keep it this way. The French - as a nation - believe in strong state and state intervention. Though they complain about high taxation, and though complaints are in 2013 becoming increasingly common, they do so less than people in other countries, and generally accept that it is a necessity required to pay for their excellent welfare state. For instance, they would rise up in rebellion (like citizens in the UK or virtually any other western nation)  if any governement suggested curtailing the public health care system in order to reduce taxes.

 最后，也许是法国经济的主要显着弱点是，它是不完全一样的模型是法国人所说的“盎格鲁 - 撒克逊”经济运行。这并不能使它本质上不太成功的，只是不同的，虽然不是那么很大的不同。法国是许多世界级规模的企业;它有它的millionnaires百万富翁和企业家，有几个最好的商学院在欧洲，其丰富和它差。然而，贫富之间的差距并不像公然因为它在许多其他国家，而法国希望保持这种方式。法国 - 作为一个民族 - 相信强大的国家和国家干预。虽然他们抱怨高税收，虽然投诉在2013年变得越来越普遍，他们这样做比其他国家的人少了，一般会接受，这是需要支付其出色的福利国家的必需品。例如，他们会起来造反（如英国公民或几乎任何其他西方国家），如果有的话政府建议，以减少税收削减公共医疗体系。

Recent developments in the French economy.

最近的事态发展中的法国经济。

Since 2007, France like other countries has had to adapt to new global economic realities. It is doing so through measures designed to modernise its economy; but modernisation in France is often a difficult process. The Sarkozy government became deeply unpopular in part (though not exclusively) through its programs of "reform", which did not go down well with many French voters, particularly those who saw themselves losing out. France suffered less than the UK and many other major economies from the economic downturn in 2007; but three years later it was also slower in bouncing back.

自2007年以来，法国像其他国家不得不适应新的全球经济的现实。它是通过设计的经济现代化措施，这样做;但现代化在法国通常是一个艰难的过程。萨科齐政府在某种程度上成了非常不受欢迎（但不限于）通过“改革”的方案，并没有与许多法国选民，尤其是那些谁认为自己输给了下去好。法国遭受低于英国和从2007年的经济衰退许多其他主要经济体;但三年后，也正是在反弹较慢。在萨科齐政府，虽然从事某些改革，例如提高退休年龄，没有认真去抓住与法国经济的最紧迫的问题：一是过高的水平征税，二 - 第一个问题，在很大程度上结果 - 法国企业在国际市场上的竞争力下降。

At the end of 2010,the economy ,growing at an estimated 1.5%,is just pick up ,but deficits are continuing to rise .The budget deficit for 2010 is estimated at 7.7%.In the 2010 Autumn budget ,the government announced a large package of public spending cuts and the closing of some tax loopholes ,designed to reduce the public deficit by 2% in 2011,eventually bringing it down to 2% in 2014.Yet France’s national debt will continue to rise until 2012,reaching a high of 87.4% of GDP ,before it starts to fall back.

截至2010年底，经济，估计1.5％的速度增长，是刚刚回暖，目标赤字继续上升.The预算赤字2010年为7.7％。在2010年秋季预算估计，政府具有广泛的annoncé削减公共开支和税收闭幕包一些漏洞，设计了2％，2011年降低公共赤字最终把它降低到2％2014.Yet法国的国家债务将继续上升到2012年达到高国内生产总值的87.4％，在此之前它开始回落。

France is not alone in its economic difficulties. Like other European nations, it has announced firm intentions to get its economy back on an even keel, and in line with European Union targets. And as in other countries, France’s belt-tightening does not go down well with citizens, and is leading to criticism and protest in parliament and in the street. Whether the targets set by president Sarkozy will be met or not, only time will tell.

法国不单单是信息通信技术的经济困难。像 -其他欧洲国家annoncé它具有坚定的意愿来获得信息通信技术的经济重新龙骨，甚至一年，并与欧盟的目标相一致。而且随着国家 - 其他法国的紧缩开支不与citoyens很好下来，并导致批评，在议会和街头抗议。无论是萨科齐总统设定的目标将得到满足与否，只有时间才能告诉我们。

法国经济的优缺点