In France, a devotion to quasi-socialist ideals - by Craig S.Smith
Standing amid the chaos of the protests here last week, Omar Sylla, 22, tried to explain why the French are so angry about what seems to many people like such a small thing: the French government's attempt to loosen labor laws a bit by allowing employers the right to fire young workers without cause during a trial period on the job. Even after President Jacques Chirac promised to shorten the period from two years to one, the protests continued.While most of the world struggles to cope with the shifting threats and opportunities of an increasingly global economy, much of Europe, and France in particular, remains devoted to a quasi-socialist ideal.
Bad as France's recent unrest has been, for example, some people argue it has never reached the level of violence seen during periods of unrest in American cities. A more equitable social welfare system could be one reason, they say. France's defenders argue that its great successes are overlooked; the country continues to draw large amounts of foreign direct investment - in 2003, it received more than the United States, Britain, Germany or Japan, according to figures from the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation. The organization also ranked France at the top in terms of productivity - economic output per hour worked - among the Group of 7 industrialized nations in 2004. The World Health Organization rated the French health care system the best of any of its members in 2000.
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