"The academization of French economic expertise" (1945-2013)

Abstract :
This article investigates the decline of pluralism in French economic expertise by adopting academic criteria. Prior to the 1980s, economic expertise was a quasi-monopoly of the State, with two administrations (Direction de la Prévision and INSEE) producing economic information. This information was then used by the Commissariat Général au Plan (CGP) to establish economic guidelines in negotiation with the administration, trade union representatives and employers. In 1979, a report advocated the development of pluralist economic expertise through the creation of three research institutes representing employers (Rexecode), trade unions (Ires) and academia (OFCE). Thus, in an institutional environment that ensures pluralism, economists gain in autonomy while distancing themselves from the administration and economic policy making. In 1997, the Conseil d’analyse économique (Economic Analysis Council) was created to bring economic expertise closer to political power and foster debate among economists, but after the 2008 crisis, it evolved into an institution favoring economists publishing in Anglo-Saxon academic journals, reducing pluralism.