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Four Ways to Fire a Frenchman | 41 comments (41 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: EU work law (none / 0)
But don't seem all that different on the hiring and firing front. This is the bit that gets me about the whole "labour flexibility" thing. Nothing I've heard about the terrible French system seems all that different to the wonderful Irish system. I still have no clue what the problem unique to France is meant to be that could be fixed by screwing with labour contracts. The unemployment problem is clearly a much more complicated system problem that requires pretty comprehensive tweaks to the system to fix. The current plan is senseless.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Tue Mar 28th, 2006 at 08:02:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: EU work law (4.00 / 2)
It is indeed. Wonder how so many clever brains at the government think tanks eventually came up with such nonsense.
As Kcurie's sig puts it, it's myths, not realities, that operate in people's minds. The myth of fixing a complex problem with one unique solution is so tempting.
A simple solution is easily understood by the dumb electorate and you do not have to bother providing explanations. Regarding the CPE, reactions reveal it was well understood indeed. <s>
As the old saying goes "Never underestimate your enemy". For the French rights, the enemies are the dumb workers. Now the government did underestimate them all right.

When through hell, just keep going. W. Churchill
by Agnes a Paris on Tue Mar 28th, 2006 at 08:24:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: EU work law (4.00 / 2)
Yup, I think everyone understood the CPE!

I was reading the Blanchard paper that Jérôme referenced somewhere and it seems pretty clear to me that this is a problem with many possible solutions that are all complicated. Throwing the workers to the wolves is not the only possible solution.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Tue Mar 28th, 2006 at 08:30:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Four Ways to Fire a Frenchman | 41 comments (41 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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