Is There a Cure for France's Economic Maladies?

The next French president will inherit an economy mired in debt, saddled with high unemployment and lukewarm growth, and unable to effectively outcompete its European peers. Whether voters choose Emmanuel Macron or Marine Le Pen in the May 7 presidential runoff, the winner must carry the parliamentary elections to follow, otherwise his or her prospects for enacting their economic agenda will be dim. Either way, turning the French economy around will require a combination of policy changes and enhanced spending, neither of which will be easy to institute.