Why France’s Politics Are Broken — and What That Means for Its Economy

In the decade that followed the euro zone debt crisis, France stood out as an island of stability amid Europe’s turbulent politics. Spain was burdened by weak governments and serial elections, Italy’s deadlocked parties often left it to technocrats to run the country and the UK struggled through years of post-Brexit infighting and a revolving door at 10 Downing Street. Emmanuel Macron’s rise to power in 2017, by contrast, brought with it with a strong, coherent pro-business agenda backed, at lea