Despite these handicaps the French economy has many assets

It is used to measure the economic performance of a country through the evolution of its per capita GDP. If you look at the France, in this context, there is a substantial regression of our position in the world: in 1980, we situate the eighth in the world, just before the United States; in 2005, we saw the nineteenth largest, behind most of the other European countries (Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, Netherlands). In terms of competitiveness, we are still more apart: according to the World Economic Forum in Davos, we are in the 30th position, in terms of attractiveness of our economy, largely behind our major industrial partners.

The other economic criteria usually used do not improve our image: unemployment, at around 9, while it does not exceed 5 in the United States or 5.5 in Great Britain; debt rising fast, now exceeding 65 of GDP; budget deficit recurrent slightly below 3. In question, in part, a too strong decrease in the number of hours worked: conne hours per employee, on average (in 2004), 1.812 for the United States and 1.840 for the Japan, and an inadequate labour population: 63 of the total French population (the United Kingdom, this figure exceeds 72 and 71 Germany).

To complete this relatively bleak picture, can refer also to the disastrous state of the social accounts, either health insurance or unemployment insurance, with alarming forecasts at ten or twenty years. And this despite social and tax levies up approximately 45, against 40 in Germany or Italy, and much less in Britain or the United States. Another area of concern: research. Thus, the France invests only 1.1 of its GDP in this activity, while the United States spend 2.3; In addition, the Germans lay each year two times more patents than we. Could multiply these examples.

However, there is reason to hope. Despite these handicaps, the French economy has many assets. The first result of our population, whose growth is much better than that of our European partners, which implies a potential reserve of future economic development, and aging slower than our German neighbours, for example, so a priori more than dynamism.

In addition, we have large high-performance businesses, many of which are world leaders in their industry (Saint-Gobain, Air Liquide, Lafarge, Essilor, etc.). In addition, foreign investment seem to appreciate the site France, attracted by a number of factors that are sometimes difficult to quantify: good infrastructure network, quality of labour, market local more of 60 million people, etc. Considering other more qualitative elements, namely: high life expectancy (almost eighty years, seventy-seven years in the United States), a relatively efficient health care system, an art of living recognized globally as a pleasant balance of the House France is much more positive than it seems.

If the French agree to make some efforts, on the one hand, to increase working a year and a life time and, on the other hand, to stop the current excesses (debt, budget deficit, deficit of the social accounts), the country will be able to capitalize on other assets, more "immaterial". Thus the quality of our natural and historic heritage relatively well developed in value, to consider a rise again increased our tourism (with a positive impact on many sectors, such as the hotel), accompanied by the arrival of new foreign residents in our beautiful areas (real estate development).

Important other element of our "intangible capital": brands, either in the luxury industry, or in the agri-food. We must not only protect them (counterfeit), but strive for innovation that enables to remain leader in these areas. I therefore turn to the last asset, which is industrial research. The France has an expertise recognized in many sectors: nuclear, aviation, public works, pharmacy, automotive, agri-food, etc. If we give a new impetus to this potential (which assumes to our universities in the State to be competitive at the international level, to improve the link between fundamental research and research applied, and the firms of university centres), we can come to save our rank in the world.

Our future is therefore declining according to the following skills: heritage (source of tourism and foreign real estate investment), privileged geopolitical position (vector of foreign direct investment), possession of global brands (luxury and agri-food), technological know-how (spacial, nuclear, aeronautics).

To conclude, can therefore wonder about the relevance of the gross national product per capita as the criterion of a country's economic performance. Perhaps better retain, in the absence of a "level of per capita welfare" (always difficult to measure), a test such as the economic potential per capita, which would be taken into account not only the current production of a State but also its future ability to create value, in the economic sense of the term.