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Trésor-Eco

Trésor-Economics No. 11 - How the new features of globalisation are affecting markets in Europe

Rédigé par : DG Trésor 22 mars 2007

Until the end of the 1990’s, the rapid growth of trade has had only a limited impact on Europe’s labour markets and inequalities, insofar as it mainly affected countries with comparable levels of development. The growing share of the major emerging countries in world trade could change this pattern, notably by pushing the European countries to specialise more: that is what the growth in the share... Lire la suite

Trésor-Eco

Trésor-Economics No. 10 - Distinguishing cyclical from structural components in French unemployment

Rédigé par : DG Trésor 06 mars 2007

The French unemployment rate fall to 8.6% at the end of 2006, its lowest level since 1983. For the year as a whole, unemployment has declined by around 1 percentage point: can we put this fall entirely down to a good economic situation, or does it also reflect structural improvements in the labour market?To answer this question we need to distinguish between cyclical and structural components in t... Lire la suite

Trésor-Eco

Trésor-Economics No. 9 - The patent system in Europe

Rédigé par : DG Trésor 05 février 2007

Several reports published in recent years have highlighted the gap that has opened up between Europe (notably France) and the United States in terms of the number of patents filed. Taking the number of "triadic patents" (filed simultaneously in the United States, Japan and with the European Patent Office), the European Union (EU) filed 35 patents per million head of population versus 66 in the Uni... Lire la suite

Trésor-Eco

Trésor-Economics No. 8 - UK labour market performance

Rédigé par : DG Trésor 19 janvier 2007

UK unemployment has fallen sharply since it peaked at slightly over 10% in 1993, dropping to 4.7% in mid-2005, its lowest level in 35 years. This fall in unemployment may be viewed as exemplary by comparison with the other large European economies. UK labour market performance stands out from that of the eurozone in a number of respects: the decline in unemployment has gone hand in hand with a hig... Lire la suite

Trésor-Eco

Trésor-Economics No. 7 - Firms’ access to bank credit

Rédigé par : DG Trésor 11 janvier 2007

Firms may be denied access to bank loans even if they are willing to pay high interest. This phenomenon - known as "credit rationing" - remains hard to quantify, as credit supply and demand are not directly observable. However, some evidence suggests that credit rationing has been significant in France during the 1990s.A disequilibrium model estimated on French data for the recent period suggests... Lire la suite

Trésor-Eco

Trésor-Economics No. 6 - Reinterpreting the contribution of foreign trade to growth

Rédigé par : DG Trésor 14 décembre 2006

The impact of foreign trade on economic activity is usually analyzed by computing the "contribution of foreign to growth". Such an analysis carried on for France emphasises that over the three years from 2003 to 2005, the contribution of foreign trade to growth has been sharply negative.However, the contribution of foreign trade to growth seems too crude an indicator to yield proper insight into t... Lire la suite

Trésor-Eco

Trésor-Economics No. 5 - Is the impact of China’s emergence on France as large as currently thought ?

Rédigé par : DG Trésor 23 novembre 2006

The opening up of the French economy since 1960 has facilitated an enlargment of the range of disposable products and a downward pressure on prices. These developments have benefited consumers and have translated into a larger exposure of French firms to foreign competition. These pressures globalisation has brought to bear on companies, come from both the evolution of competitiveness and from Fra... Lire la suite

Trésor-Eco

Trésor-Economics No. 4 - Census of French companies’ establishments abroad

Rédigé par : DG Trésor 11 novembre 2006

French companies' establishments abroad generated turnover in excess of € 520 billion in 2004, thus exceeding French exports, which totalled 340 billion. A census of these establishments conducted by the French Treasury (DGTPE) reveals a number of pathbreaking observations:As far as the geographic structure is concerned, thecharacteristics are similar to those of French exports. French companies a... Lire la suite

Trésor-Eco

Trésor-Economics No. 3 - Business relationships between suppliers and retailers

Rédigé par : DG Trésor 10 novembre 2006

Relationships between retailers and suppliers are generally non-integrated and vertical, involving a complex blend of cooperation and competition. In the large retail sector, the balance of power has been tilted in the large retailers’ favour over the last few years. This asymmetry is liable to breed market inefficiencies and anti-competitive effects. What is more, it is sometimes suspected by sup... Lire la suite

Trésor-Eco

Trésor-Economics No. 2 - Estimates of French medium to long-term potential growth revisited

Rédigé par : DG Trésor 09 novembre 2006

INSEE recently published new projections of the French working population to 2050. According to these estimates, the number of people in the labour force would continue to rise till 2015 then stabilise at between 28.2 and 28.5 million, whereas in earlier calculations, the labour force was projected to decline as from 2007. This dynamism stems from increased fertility, more abundant immigration, an... Lire la suite