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National Business Associations under Stress: Lessons from the French Case

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  • Cornelia Woll

    (CERI - Centre de recherches internationales (Sciences Po, CNRS) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

Since its reform in 1998, the national association of French employers and industry, MEDEF, appears to be an example of strong interest organisation. Unlike trade unions, the peak business organisation has been stable and unified, especially in terms of membership density. Through a study of the collective action of businesses in France, this article sheds doubt on such an impression and argues that the national business association has been put severely under stress in recent years. Like all encompassing associations, MEDEF comprises a great variety of interests and constantly has to manage its internal heterogeneity. An analysis of the historical and institutional context of its recent reform demonstrates that MEDEF's forceful media campaign should not be understood as a display of actual strength and coherence; rather it is the last resort of collective action that the association can claim legitimately as its responsibility.

Suggested Citation

  • Cornelia Woll, 2006. "National Business Associations under Stress: Lessons from the French Case," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-01021189, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:spmain:hal-01021189
    DOI: 10.1080/01402380600619819
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-01021189
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Schmitter, Philippe C. & Streeck, Wolfgang, 1999. "The organization of business interests: Studying the associative action of business in advanced industrial societies," MPIfG Discussion Paper 99/1, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    2. Vivien A. Schmidt, 1996. "Loosening the Ties that Bind: The Impact of European Integration on French Government and its Relationship to Business," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(2), pages 223-254, June.
    3. Elie Cohen, 1988. "Patrons, entrepreneurs et dirigeants : Avant-propos," Post-Print hal-03567212, HAL.
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