Economic liberalization has been contested and defeated in France to an unparalleled extent in comparison to other leading political economies in Western Europe. Levy offers a historical explanation, centered on the legacies of France's postwar statist or dirigiste economic model. Although this model was dismantled decades ago, its policy, party-political, and institutional legacies continue to fuel the contestation of liberalizing reforms today. Contested Liberalization offers a comprehensive analysis of French economic and social policy since the 1980s, including the Macron administration. It also traces the implications of the French case for contestation in East Asia and Latin America. Levy concludes by identifying ways that French liberalizers could diminish contestation, notably by adopting a more inclusive process and more equitable allocation of the costs and benefits of liberalizing reform. This book will interest scholars and students of political economy and comparative politics, especially those working on economic liberalization, French politics, and the welfare state.

‘With lively prose and incisive analysis, this book demystifies Europe's most mysterious political economy. Jonah Levy brings vast knowledge and important comparative perspectives to his forensic examination of why France has failed to liberalize as fully as its neighbors. The result is not only a magisterial overview of the French political economy across five decades but a work that will interest anyone interested in how polities and their policies change over time.'

Peter A. Hall - Harvard University

‘This is the most profoundly illuminating and depressing (but also exciting) book on the French political economy written in recent decades. It shows the sui generis nature of contemporary France. And it stands alongside the work of Phillip Williams in the 1960s and of John Zysman in the 1980s as the most profound interpretations of France.'

David Soskice - London School of Economics

‘This is far and away the best single volume account, in English or French, of the liberalization project in France and its challenges and limitations. In this tour de force, Levy provides a comprehensive, acute and often brilliant analysis of forty years of contested liberalization ‘without liberals', culminating in a detailed account of the Macron presidency and its inept and rapid retreat from liberalization.'

Chris Howell - Oberlin College

‘… this timely book will prove insightful to students of comparative political economy, especially those with keen interests in contemporary France. … Highly recommended.’

T. D. Lancaster Source: Choice