The French?

Question

The French have just been described as,
" workshy, unmotivated and inefficient".
This is according to five of the world's greatest economists. I tend to agree but what do you think?

They were all Nobel Prize Winners

Answer 1

well, i can imagine why that can be said by economists. doesn't seem unnatural.
1. The french are governed by a quasi-socialist government, with mostly socialist reforms and regualtions. That means, among other things, they work a maximum of 35 hours a week, much lesser in view of any north american person. However, they get more pay than would be prevalent at market prices.
In economic theory, motivation comes from incentive. It is said thatt in centrally planned economies (which France is not completely), the incentive is minimal. Obviously, you don't get promotions easily, you get the same pay for working 35 hours. You don't own the factors of production (land, labour, capital and enterprise), so human instinct says why slog extra when it's not even your thing!
Inefficient, yes, economically speaking, without reason it's true. It doesn't mean they can't be efficient. It just means that they are not utilizing their resources (majorly that of labor) to the extent that they can. They are under-utlizing labor resources. If people work 35 hours, when they could have worked 60, obviously the economy is losing out on production for those 25 hours. So efficiency is not maximized. In economic terms, yeah man they got it right. Nobel laureates alright. It's important however to understand WHAT they mean. A lot of time experts say a lot of things which are misinterpreted by novices because the same level of understanding, same conceptual notions are not there.
Hope that helps,
Mi

Answer 2

I have visited France on many occasions whilst living in Germany. I am not liberal or Pro-Europe by any means, but the description listed above, I personally feel is inaccurate and would seemingly apply to all of western Europe. Between Spain's "siestas" and the extremely feeble work hours of many European countries does not mean that they are work shy, it just means that they rely more on government programs and don't have to work as much. It seems to me that the low-stress work environments of Europe could have something to do with the fact that they are more laid back and thinner than Americans.

Answer 3

Who are the economists? You don't say. Probably disgruntled Americans, Brits or Germans who went to France and got bad service in the local cafes or whorehouses, no doubt.

Answer 4

They, and most other Europeans, are a heck of a lot better adjusted than most Americans are! And it appears that the French were right about Iraq, no? Qui!

Answer 5

Yes, because they have such good personalities, and are good at art, they are too busy having fun to be with the economists.