Policy Briefs

Policy Briefs are short, informative articles that analyze current issues, often complementing the Foundation’s policy programs. The French-American Foundation provides an opportunity to experts to disseminate their views on topics of importance in the French-American relationship.

French and U.S. Health Care: Shared Ideals and a Much-Needed Common Reform
Popular stereotypes describe France as a land of socialized medicine. In reality, the French system is a mix of public and private care, just as in the United States. Moreover, the two nations share common ideals of patient choice, primacy of private-practice physicians, and rejection of rationing. Both countries face a similar challenge, as changes in economic structure and health technology mean that employment-linked health insurance is no longer the most efficient way to deliver care.

The Sarkozy Presidency in 2007
In May of 2007, the French went to the polls and chose Nicolas Sarkozy, whose mandate represents a generational turning point in French leadership. In his first months in office, he has taken on an array of domestic reforms and appointed a skilled, diverse cabinet. His reorientation of French foreign policy augurs well for French-American relations; however, it is clear that he also envisions a leadership

The Collection of Ethnoracial Statistics: Developments in the French Controversy
A recent amendment to France's immigration law would have made it easier for the state to collect ethnic and racial statistics for the French population. The measure met resistance from multiple quarters and was eventually held to be unconstitutional. As Daniel Sabbagh explains, this resistance illustrates the historical and legal differences between the United States and France regarding racial statistics.

Your Guide to the French Government
This French-American Foundation guide to the French government provides a brief overview of French institutions and the French political system.

French and American Approaches to Antidiscrimination Law
The right to equality before the law is a primary value for both France and the United States, and the principle is written into the countries’ respective constitutions. However, different historical experiences and legal structures have influenced the development of specific antidiscrimination measures. It remains to be seen whether these corrective legal measures can be adapted to confront new forms of racial discrimination.

The French Riots of 2005: Lessons and Policy Responses
In the Fall of 2005, France experienced the most significant urban riots of its contemporary history, with unrest beginning in Clichy-sous-Bois, a poor district on the outskirts of Paris, and spreading to some 300 neighborhoods across the country. Sociologist Laurent Mucchielli, who specializes in delinquency, violence, and security policy, spoke to the French-American Foundation on October 4, 2007, in an attempt to go beyond the headlines and place the riots in larger historical and socio-economic context.

Equal Treatment in Employment: Learning from American Antidiscrimination Policies
With 40 years of experience in antidiscrimination law and affirmative action, the United States constitutes a major point of reference for French policy-makers. Convinced that the lessons drawn from the American model can help enhance the French debate on equality of opportunity, the French-American Foundation initiated a study on the American antidiscrimination framework in late 2008 under the supervision of Daniel Sabbagh, Senior Research Fellow at CERI-Sciences Po. This policy brief summarizes the conclusions of that study tour.