As Julien Damon reminds us at the beginning of his article, at the point when Futuribles was born, Social Security in France was already 30 years old. That age corresponded to the ‘post-war boom’ which had just given way to a series of (energy, economic etc.) crises that were not without their effects on the socio-economic equilibria of the country. Launched when both birth and employment rates were high and the economy was growing, Social Security has had to cope, over recent decades, with a radical transformation in socio-economic circumstances, the consequences of which have particularly affected its budget balances. Damon traces these changes and their impact on the institution that provides social protection for French citizens, reminding us, along the way, how the subject has been treated in our pages since 1975. He also shows how social risk, the measures taken to cope with it, and the expectations of the insured have all evolved. And he stresses the complexity of the system and its funding, at a time when we are having to factor an ageing society into the mix. Lastly, Damon sketches out four possible future paths for ‘la Sécu’ in view of the present conjuncture.
The article is downloadable only in French. It is not available in English.
