Books & ideas

National Parks & National Pride

Laura Brimont — 2016-03-10T09:08:18Z

The national park is not only a space dedicated to walks, recreation, and even wondrous contemplation, it is also a tool used by the Nation. Guillaume Blanc analyses this overlap between environment and politics through the cases of France, Canada, and Ethiopia.

A World Out of Key

Pauline Peretz — 2013-05-16T07:30:00Z

Although today's world is more interdependent than ever, it is still a jigsaw puzzle of sovereign states. One consequence of globalization is that we have to update our own mental maps, and to understand other people's. In this interview, the diplomat and geographer Michel Foucher explains the world's new geography.

Comparing Social Protection in France and Germany

Jean-Claude Barbier & Matthias Knuth — 2011-02-21T10:20:24Z

Jean-Claude Barbier and Matthias Knuth analyze the evolution of the French and German social protection ‘models'. They assess the reforms centred on assistance and unemployment insurance, while situating these in the dynamic of a fundamental reform that is disrupting social protection right across Europe: namely, the “activation of social protection”.

The French Social Welfare Model, as Seen from the Polders

Antoine Bevort — 2011-01-26T09:22:49Z

For the Dutch, the French social model seems particularly generous. However, no real comparison is possible if the facts are taken out of context. The understanding of the Dutch proverb ‘To live like God in France' changes somewhat when we consider Antoine Bevort's investigation of the differences between social relations in France and in the Netherlands.