That old world

Europe’s economy is a cause for concern, not panic

But as America’s population has risen by a quarter since 1994, while ageing Europe’s has grown far less, the two economies are in fact somewhat closer in terms of income per person than they were at the time of Bill Clinton and Jacques Delors. Factoring in working hours, which are both shorter and on a steady decline in the eu, leaves European workers with even less to blush about. Put very simply, the French and their neighbours toil a third less than Americans, earn a third less, and are a lot more tanned by the end of August.

When I worked in France, in Pierre Chambon’s lab in Strasbourg, Gallic pride was taken in the ability to publish ‘big’ papers before the competitors in the USA and take all of August off.

Posted on Journée internationale de la Francophonie