"La Règle du Jeu: France and the Paradox of Managed Globalization"

Abdelal, Rawi and Meunier, Sophie. (2007) "La Règle du Jeu: France and the Paradox of Managed Globalization". In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2007 (10th), May 17-19, 2007, pages 32, Montreal, Canada.

Abstract

Globalization is often portrayed as a tidal wave that originated in the US and its policy of laissez‐faire liberalization. This paper argues, however, that globalization is not made only by striking down regulations, but also by making them. During the 1980s, French policy makers began to develop the doctrine of “managed globalization,” or what World Trade Organization (WTO) head Pascal Lamy calls today “globalization by the rules.” Central to the doctrine has been the French – and European – effort to make rules and build the capacity of international organizations such as the European Union (EU), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and WTO. These organizations then would have the authority to govern commercial and financial globalization. These organizations, however, have also used this capacity to promote liberalization. Thus, the practical effect of the doctrine of managed globalization has been to create a more liberal world. It is a world with rules, a world that is organized, to be sure. But it is also a more globalized world, and one inevitably more liberal as well. This is paradoxical for a number of reasons, including: the traditional French ambivalence about globalization; the creation of the doctrine by the French Left; and the antipathy of American policy makers for these liberalizing and organizing agendas. Most remarkably, the concept of managed globalization has been grossly misrepresented and misinterpreted over the years in the French political and intellectual discourse. Most often, managed globalization is understood to be synonymous with taming globalization to make it less liberal. We explain and restore the more literal meaning of the phrase, which is about ordering and mastering globalization. In doing so, we can also highlight the complex links between globalization and European integration, which can be seen as both a Trojan Horse of laissez‐faire liberalism in the heart of Europe and as the best tool available to France to shape the world of its own choosing.