25 to 30 million French people live off the state: the end of the public-private myth

25 à 30 millions de Français vivent de l’État: la fin du mythe public-privé

Jérôme Baray ()
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Jérôme Baray: ARGUMans - Laboratoire de recherche en gestion Le Mans Université - UM - Le Mans Université

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Abstract: This article challenges the traditional public/private divide in the analysis of the French economy by shifting the focus from legal status to financial flows. Rather than classifying individuals and activities as "public" or "private," it examines the concrete channels through which public money finances, stabilizes, or secures incomes. By considering civil servants, publicly funded professions, agriculture supported by subsidies, public procurement, social protection systems, and public debt mechanisms, the article estimates that between 25 and 30 million people in France derive all or part of their income directly or indirectly from public decisions. The aim is neither to accuse nor to exonerate, but to make visible structural economic dependencies that are largely absent from public debate. The analysis shows that focusing on the number of civil servants or opposing public and private sectors has become misleading. The core issues now lie in the governance of public financial flows, the degree of dependency they create, and the accountability, transparency, and collective returns associated with them. By reframing the discussion in this way, the article calls for a repoliticization of economic choices too often presented as purely technical constraints.

Keywords: public financial flows; state and economy; public debate; social protection; public procurement; public subsidies; economic dependency; public and private sectors; economic governance; public debt; secteur public et privé; économie politique; flux financiers publics; argent public; dette publique; gouvernance économique; public money; dépendance économique; aides publiques; commande publique; protection sociale; débat public; État et économie; political economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-01-26
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Published in La Revue parlementaire, 2026

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05478430

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