'From State to Market?' is the most comprehensive and insightful account in English of the fascinating tale of two economic policy shifts in France: the expansion of the public sector in the early 1980s under the Socialist government and the program of privatization and deregulation, initiated by the Socialists and extended by their conservative successors, which followed. The book identifies important continuities and dramatic changes for the French state and statist patterns of regulation in other countries.

From State to Market? examines the changing role of the French state in the economy between 1981 and 1995 and its impact on business. Professor Schmidt details the governmental policies of nationalization, privatization, deregulation, and European integration; illuminates the "statist" policymaking processes through which such policies were formulated and implemented; profiles the players, the administrative and managerial elites who share common state educational background and career track; and describes the changes in economic performance, capital structure, and managerial practice.