Changing it up

From a recent piece in The Economist:

IN 1946, AS France emerged from the horrors of war, Charles de Gaulle devised le Plan to rebuild his battered country. Centred on the theme “Modernisation or Decadence”, the first five-year plan identified six industries—coal, electricity, steel, transport, mechanised agriculture and cement—on which France would construct a modern economy.

And

The office of the Plan was not formally abolished until 2006, but France has not drawn up a five-year plan for nearly 30 years.…

On September 3rd, as The Economist went to press, the French government was set to announce the resurrection of the mighty Plan.

France does have a long history of planning, but this announcement is still surprising coming from the pro-business Macron. Almost as interesting as the FT advocating ‘tax and spend‘ policy or increasing labour’s bargaining power.