France

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France
vs
United States
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Chuck Norris
When an episode of Walker Texas Ranger was aired
in France, the French surrendered to Chuck Norris
just to be on the safe side.
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(No Transcript)
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Oil Consumption in France

• Oil - consumption 2.06 million bbl/day
  (2003 est.)
• Population 60,656,178 (July 2005 est.)
• Percentage of Oil Consumed per Person .033962
  bbl/day

http//www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
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Oil Consumption in America

• Oil Consumption 20.03 million bbl/day (2003
  est.)
• Population 295,734,134 (July 2005 est.)
• Oil-Consumption per Person .06773

http//www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
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Life and Economics
The average American consumes twice as much oil
as an average Frenchmen. This affects Frances
daily life because like most other European
countries, people in France walk or take public
transportation to most of their destinations.
Train service, provided by the state, is fast and
efficient, especially on the more than 12,000 km
(7,456 mi) of electrified track. Car rentals are
very expensive if you initiate the transaction in
France. Rates start at 60.47 a day and 197.53 a
week for an economy model with unlimited mileage,
NOT including the 20.6 sales tax (VAT).
http//www.discoverfrance.net/France/DF_transport.
shtml
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Index of Freedom
France ranks 44th on the Index of Economic
Freedom

• The United States is ranked 9th on the Index of
  Economic Freedom

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What is economic freedom? Economic freedom is
defined as the absence of government coercion or
constraint on the production, distribution, or
consumption of goods and services beyond the
extent necessary for citizens to protect and
maintain liberty itself. In other words, people
are free to work, produce, consume, and invest in
the ways they feel are most productive.
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• How do you measure economic freedom?
• Trade policy
• Fiscal burden of government,
• Government intervention in the economy,
• Monetary policy,
• Capital flows and foreign investment,
• Banking and finance,
• Wages and prices,
• Property rights,
• Regulation,
• Informal market activity.

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Life and Economics
While France is gradually abandoning its history
of state-heavy socialism to embrace the free
market and the new economy, the French still look
to their government to do a lot for them. With
most social problems the first thought is that
the government should do something, come up with
some type of plan and not just money. Just about
everyone, along with many businesses, in France
will receive some type of government subsidy.
Every family in France that has children has the
right to get a monthly government stipend. The
United States mentality is still very much
independent. Americans love their freedom!
Socialism while it has grown recently is still an
issue of debate for lots of Americans.
http//www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos
/fr.htmlEcon
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Wine Production
Wine Production Share of World Prod.
Wine Exports
France 5695 (millions of L) 21.9
1229 (millions of L) USA 1864 (milions of
L) 6.8 163.8 (millions of L)
USA 9th Leading Exporter of Wine France 2nd
Leading Exporter of Wine
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Life and Economics
You would think that since they produce more wine
the French would be the world biggest Drunks but
surprisingly the opposite is the case. A study by
British consultants ISWR/DGR reported that the
United States is likely to be the country with
the highest consumption of wine in 2008 followed
by Italy and then France. The study predicted
that the amount of wine drunk in France would
decrease by 7.4. Imagine that!
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Unemployment Rates

• Unemployment Rate in France 10
• Unemployment rate in United States 5.1

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Life and Economics

• France's prime minister Lionel Jospin made
  cutting unemployment a priority when he came to
  power, inheriting an unemployment rate of more
  than 12.
• The most radical measure he introduced was the
  cutting of the length of the working week to 35
  hours. So the French work much less than the
  Americans.

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U.S. Unemployment

• In January, the economy created 193,000 jobs and
  has created over 2 million jobs over the past 12
  months, and more than 4.7 million since August
  2003. More jobs means Americans have more income
  to spend woohoo!

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Food Production

• France is the EUs leading agricultural
  economy, ahead of Germany, accounting for 22 of
  the fifteen member States total production. It
  is also the worlds second largest exporter of
  agri-foodstuffs, behind the USA, and in 1999 had
  an agricultural trade surplus of over 50 billion
  francs (US8.3 billion). Although French
  agriculture now employs only 6 of the total
  workforce and accounts for only 2 of the
  national GDP, it is nonetheless one of Frances
  most dynamic sectors.

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FOOD and FRANCE

• Food and eating are the center of French
  existence. The French go to great lengths to make
  their meals as long as possible. They live to eat
  and do it very slowly and deliberately, savoring
  each bite as they go, not rushed as in the United
  States.

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America and Food Need I say more?
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Education and Economy in France

• 15 million pupils and students, i.e. a quarter of
  the population, are in the education system. Just
  over 2 million are in higher education.
• In 1999, France's GDP was 1,330 billion EUR, i.e.
  22,000 EUR per inhabitant. Of this total, just
  over 95 billion EUR were devoted to initial or
  continuing education 7.2 of GDP.

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Education and Economy in U.S.

• The Presidents FY 2004 Budget provides a larger
  increase for the Education Department (5.6
  percent) than for any other domestic Cabinet
  agency. Federal education spending has increased
  by 118 percent from FY 1996 .
• The United States spent the most on education in
  2001 at roughly 500 billion, followed by Japan,
  Germany and France at 139 billion, 89 billion
  and 82 billion respectively. While the U.S.
  spent the most in absolute dollars, it ranked
  tenth in education spending as a percent of GDP
  at 4.8 percent.

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Life and Economics

• The education system in France is much more
  difficult than in the United States. The scoring
  system is so extreme, that no one ever achieves a
  perfect score. Its literally impossible.
• In the United States, the grading system is much
  more lax, and allows students to achieve high
  scores. We have to build the self-esteem!

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Healthcare Costs in France

• France has a basic system of public health
  insurance that, as of January 2000, covers
  everybody in the nation.
• France is the only country where access to care
  is unlimited. Patients can see as many doctors as
  they please.
• The health care system is mainly under state
  control. The state plans out hospitals, the
  allocation of specialized equipment, etc.
• French physicians only make US 55,000, about
  1/3rd what their American counterparts pull in.

http//ezraklein.typepad.com/blog/2005/04/health_c
are_fra.html
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Healthcare in U.S.

• Health care spending is 4.3 times the amount
  spent on national defense. (4)
• In 2003, the United States spent 15.3 percent of
  its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on health care.
  It is projected that the percentage will reach
  18.7 percent in 10 years. (3)
• Although nearly 45 million Americans are
  uninsured, the United States spends more on
  health care than other industrialized nations,
  and those countries provide health insurance to
  all their citizens. (4)

http//www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml
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Life and Economics

• U.S. spends more and gets a lot less
• France spends less and gets more

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Tourism in France

• France attracted over 75 million tourists in 2004
  (surpassing its population), making it the most
  popular tourist destination in the world.
• If tourism came to a complete halt in France the
  economy would suffer greatly, with the
  possibility of an economic collapse.

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_France
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Tourism

• France was the worlds top tourist destination,
  drawing 76.5 million visitors, followed by Spain
  (49.5 million) and the United States (45.5
  million). 

http//www.worldhum.com/weblog/item/world_tourism_
revenue_down_26_percent_20051203/
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Life and Economics

• America doesnt attract tourists as much as it
  does immigrants permanently looking for
  opportunities and a better life. While France
  depends upon tourism, the United States is
  partially dependent on the immigrant workers that
  make up a portion of the labor force.

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Religion in France

• In France churches receive no benefits or tax
  exemptions and less donations from members and
  the state
• Guaranteed religious freedom

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Religion in U.S.

• Churches receive tax exemptions and donations
  from believers
• According to researchers Dean Hoge, Patrick
  McNamara, Charles Zech and Michael Donahue,
  conservative Protestants give more than 3 percent
  of household income on average black
  Protestants, 2.5 percent mainline Protestants, 2
  percent Catholics, less than 1.5 percent and
  other denominations, less than 1 percent

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Life and Economics

• Religion in America plays a much larger role in
  society that it does in France. In France most
  people believe that religion should be kept a
  private matter, whereas in America it daily
  affects life i.e. the Culture War.

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Vacation

• France takes an average of 37 Vacation Days each
  year with a standard 35 hour work week

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• Average of thirteen days
• Americans continue to give back almost 19.5
  billion in unused vacation time to their
  employers, according to the second annual study
  commissioned by Expedia.com

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Life and Economics

• Americans work longer hours and take less
  vacation time than Europeans in general. Might
  help explain why America is the number one
  country in the world and France (Europe) is not.