Watson Events

Nicolas Jabko -- French Capitalism Under Stress

"French Capitalism Under Stress," with Nicolas Jabko, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University.

France’s 2008 bank rescue plan was in many ways similar to other national bailout schemes that were adopted in a context of global financial crisis. Yet the French plan also stands out by its remarkably collective and conflict-free nature. In order to account for this distinctiveness, we highlight the role of an informal consortium among public and private actors in the French financial establishment. We argue that the bank support plan should be viewed as a gift that members of the same elite group extended to each other in exchange for future, albeit still indeterminate, counter-gifts.

Location: McKinney Conference Room, Watson Institute, 111 Thayer Street.