- The mobilization of "yellow vests", which began in November 2018, revealed deep discomfort in many municipalities.
- The Economic Analysis Council sought to understand the reasons for the malaise at the local level.
- He recommends thinking of public policies on this scale and focusing less on purely economic criteria.
This is a problem which many candidates for municipal elections will face, who have seen the roundabouts of their municipalities become places of demonstration: how to respond to the popular discontent expressed through the "yellow vests"? Almost two months to the day before the first ballot (March 15), the Economic Analysis Council (CAE) * published this Tuesday a note that provides several elements of response.
To begin with, the authors looked for what could characterize a “social malaise” at the scale of a municipality. They chose three indicators: the presence of "yellow vests" from the start of the movement (November-December 2018), the high level of abstention in presidential elections (evolution between 2012 and 2017) and "well-being [or badly -being] subjective ”expressed during opinion polls, carried out by INSEE in particular.
At the origin of the discomfort
The study then looks at the possible causes of this discomfort, by looking at the evolution of living conditions in each commune of France, between 2012 and 2017: has the unemployment rate increased? Has the number of real estate transactions (a sign of the attractiveness of a city or a village) increased? Have stores or services (small businesses, school, tax center) closed?
The results are quite striking. Employment and taxation appear to be important factors of "well-being": the municipalities where employment is dynamic and where taxes have increased little have inhabitants who are "happier" than the average, less abstainers, and with less mobilization of "yellow vests". But these are not the only determining variables.
The CAE study also shows the strong impact of the disappearance of equipment (services, shops) on a given population. Thus, 29% of the municipalities whose last food store on site closed between 2012 and 2017 experienced a mobilization of "yellow vests" at the end of 2018, while on average, only 8% of the municipalities were concerned. Similarly, the closure of educational equipment (high school, primary school) or culture (cinema, bookstore) increases the probability of a "yellow vests" event, as does a weak "social bond" (few sports associations, for example).
"The movement of" yellow vests "is not a movement of poor people, analyzes Claudia Senik, economist member of the CAE and co-author of the note. It is a movement of people who have a feeling of downgrading ”.
Priority to "well-being"
Based on these various observations, the CAE offers several remedies to respond to this discomfort in the regions. First step: change your perspective on the needs of municipalities. "It is urgent that territorial policies change objectives and focus on well-being and quality of life," said Yann Algan, also co-author of the study.
For the CAE, political decision-makers must no longer rely on economic indicators alone (employment, taxation) to support this or that public policy. The authors of the study show, for example, that the tax exemptions enjoyed by businesses in the rural revitalization zone (ZRR) do not create jobs. "It's water that sprinkles sand" sums up Philippe Martin, deputy chairman of the CAE.
Instead, he proposes to reallocate this budget - around 300 million euros per year - to projects decided at the local level. This is the CAE's second remedy: restoring mayor decision-making power. “Let’s take the money from the ZRR and ask the mayors to make calls for projects, for example to prevent a cinema from closing, or to keep a doctor or nurse. They are the ones who have the information, ”continues Philippe Martin.
To help local elected officials and the government to identify vulnerable areas, the CAE offers a barometer (from 0 to 100) which would make it possible to monitor changes in local living conditions by taking into account the well-being of the inhabitants. The municipalities with the lowest score (for example less than 30) could be priority targets for public policies aimed at improving their situation.
"France Service" homes, a good solution?
In light of these elements, what about the “France Service” houses that the government wants to set up in each canton in France? Presented after the “yellow vests” crisis, will they be an effective response? As a reminder, these “houses” (2,000 are expected by 2022) will group together different services (health insurance, employment center, unemployment benefits, taxes, La Poste, etc.) in the same building. "The objective is for each French person to be able to access a" France Service "home within 30 minutes" indicates the government website.
If the CAE does not question this political choice, it warns: the conditions for installing “France Service” homes will be decisive for improving the well-being of the inhabitants. "They must be located in places of passage, for example next to a convenience store and not on the outskirts of a town," warns Yann Algan. The CAE affirms that they will also have to “avoid the all-digital strategy to preserve social ties”. Otherwise, the discomfort that suddenly appeared at the end of 2018 on the roundabouts will likely reappear at one time or another.
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* The CAE, an organization attached to Matignon and the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, aims to "clarify, by comparing points of view and analyzes, the government's choices in economic matters". CAE members do not receive any remuneration for their participation.
- Society
- Yellow vests
- Public service
- Emmanuel Macron
- municipal