France - 83.79
29
Hiding dirty colonial secrets
Adequate data for certain categories could not be found for the French overseas departments of Mayotte, Réunion, and French Guiana. The French overseas department of New Caledonia had similar conditions to France, except for the category of democracy, so it was not scored separately in any other category, while the department of French Polynesia had similar conditions in every category. France is responsible for the management of its overseas departments, which are not territories but rather departments of France with the full rights and privileges of departments in mainland France. Conditions in these departments did not meet the standards of mainland France. Mayotte had conditions more comparable to neighboring Comoros, which claims the island, than to anywhere in mainland France. Conditions in Réunion, France’s other holding in the Indian Ocean, were not much better. Both the islands had poverty rates in line with East Africa and saw corruption much higher than the rest of the country. Conditions in mainland France were much better. The biggest concern were several police-state-esque laws that were vaguely worded and criminalized things like “contempt of public officials” that resulted in thousands of charges annually. A law is pending allowing the government virtually unrestricted surveillance of mosques and certain other Muslim religious buildings. France’s continued exploitation of instability in Niger and Mali was concerning and borderline neocolonalist, as the country continued to exploit the weaker African nations in much the same way that it did when they were formally under French control.
Human Rights - 81
Adequate human rights data was not available for the French overseas departments of Mayotte, Réunion, and French Guiana. France has fully abolished the death penalty. Several cases of police brutality were reported throughout 2020. All incidents were investigated by higher authorities. Police beat people for violating COVID lockdowns on a few occasions. France has police-state-esque laws banning “contempt of public officials” and “apology for terrorists” that result in thousands of charges annually, including 210 people arrested in a single protest. Another law that was noted for its draconian implications criminalizes wearing face coverings at protests was frequently used against protestors wearing goggles or gas masks. It resulted in 41 charges throughout 2019 and carried fines up to the equivalent of $17,400 and prison sentences up to one year. The government instituted an absolute ban on demonstrations from May 11, 2020, to June 13, 2020. Hundreds of protestors were fined for participating in demonstrations throughout the month of May. Police cleared out homeless encampments during COVID, with residents often being beat and pepper sprayed while their makeshift homes were destroyed. France guarantees a full gamut of LGBT rights. Abortion is legal to fourteen weeks.
Democracy - 97
France (90/90): The president is directly elected and the prime minister is appointed by the president. The president holds most executive authority and the prime minister appointment is announced early, making them effectively a running mate. The National Assembly, the more powerful lower house, is directly elected, and the Senate, the less powerful upper house, is elected by local governments. Elections are free and fair and operate under a competitive multi-party system. Far-right nationalism is popular in certain areas, resulting in ethnic minorities facing disenfranchisement in these areas.
New Caledonia (7/10): Separatists frequently claim that local elections are rigged against them, resulting in frequent boycotts. Elections are ostensibly free and fair, and France has allowed independence referenda to go off without a hitch.
Freedom - 79
France has several police-state-esque laws banning “contempt of public officials” and “apology for terrorism.” These laws have vague definitions and result in thousands of charges annually. In one incident, 210 protestors were charged after a single protest. French law also criminalizes wearing face coverings to protests, which has regularly been used to target protestors wearing goggles or gas masks in an attempt to protect themselves from tear gas, which is frequently deployed by French riot police. The law resulted in 41 charges throughout 2019 and carries fines up to the equivalent of $17,400 and prison sentences up to one year. Holocaust denial is illegal in France, and though the law is vaguely worded it is seldom enforced. French hate speech law prohibits public defamation or insults based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or disability. Because of the relatively narrow definition, these hate speech laws are not frequently enforced. A law is pending allowing the government to surveil mosques and certain other Muslim religious buildings virtually without restriction. The law would also require Muslim organizations to sign a document declaring “support of Republican values.” The government maintains special relations with the religions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Possession of small amounts of certain drugs (<50 grams of marijuana, <5 grams of cocaine, <5 pills of ecstasy). French drug policy is focused on reform and users can freely access clean needles and cut drugs at rehabilitation centers. France shall issue gun ownership licenses for semi-automatic rifles and handguns but it is very difficult, if not impossible, to obtain a self-defense permit.
Economy - 80
Health - 92
Adequate health data was not made available for the French overseas departments of Réunion and French Guiana.
France (89/90): France has a life expectancy of 83 years and an infant mortality rate of 0.28%. 21.6% of French are obese and 2.5% are malnourished. The French healthcare system is world-class, providing free high-quality care to all citizens. 98% of French have access to clean, running water. 34.6% of adult French smoke regularly.
Mayotte (3/10): Mayotte has a life expectancy of 62 years and an infant mortality rate of 5.8%. 10% of Maorais are obese and an equal number are malnourished. Mayotte’s universal healthcare system is decent, boasting a few good hospitals on a small island, making it difficult to be far from a good hospital. Mayotte has major problems with mosquito-borne tropical diseases, namely malaria, dengue, and west nile.
Corruption - 77
France (68/80): France has minor problems with police corruption in certain regions. Bribes are occasionally exchanged to obtain public services. Tax fraud is widespread. Bribery is often required to obtain public contracts as many corporations are quite close with the French government.
Mayotte (4/10): Petty corruption is a major issue in Mayotte, but the government is still largely administered by France so grand corruption is not as much of an issue. Police extortion is rampant. Illegal immigration is a major issue, as it is very easy for Comorian migrants to bribe their way into Mayotte. Public contracts are impossible to obtain without bribery.
Réunion (5/10): Petty corruption is a major issue in Réunion, but the government is still largely administered by France so grand corruption is not as much of an issue. Police extortion is rampant and public contracts are impossible to obtain without bribery.
Competency - 73
The government is failing to ensure a consistent standard of living in its overseas departments. The economic and human rights situations in Mayotte and Réunion leave much to be desired. The government is also failing to manage separatism in New Caledonia, where growing separatist sentiment mounts with every passing independence referendum.
Future - 79
New Caledonian independence referenda have been gaining traction, failing by a decreasing margin every time. Independence would be good for New Caledonia but would deprive France of a stream of tourism, fishing, and mining revenue. France has offered to grant a Caribbean holding of Guadaloupe more autonomy “should the people desire.” This state of greater autonomy has remained largely nebulous, but would undoubtedly deprive France of some of Guadeloupe’s tourism revenue.
Actions Abroad - 58
France provides large amounts of foreing aid to former coloniaal holdings in Africa, while Haiti and former holdings in SEA are largely ignored. France refuses to recognize the Algerian genocide, an incident where between 6,000 and 30,000 Muslim Algerian civilians were massacred by French settlers, as such. Despite this, the relations between the two countries are very good and Algeria cooperates with French anti-terrorism campaigns in the region. France continues to exploit political and economic instability in Mali and Niger, profiting heavily from French mining companies operating in the two countries. France rarely holds mining companies responsible for their rampant mistreatment of local workers. France has conducted nuclear trades with India in violation of various nuclear accords. France does not recognize the DPRK in solidarity with the ROK, despite the de facto independence of the territory. French troops in Niger opened fire on locals protesting their presence, killing two and wounding eighteen. France received a five-point penalty for possessing legal nuclear weapons.
France (67/70): 0.2% of French live below the international poverty line, while 6.1% live below the national poverty line. 8.62% of French are unemployed. The country has extremely low economic disparity. The minimum wage in France is $1736 per month, but this wage is seldom paid as most French are unionized. France boasts one of the strongest universal healthcare systems in the world, with universal coverage for all citizens. All areas of the country have ready access to a hospital boasting high-quality coverage. French labor unions have significant power in the country, and union strikes are capable of bringing the entire country to a standstill. The French economy shrunk 8.1% in 2020 and grew 1.5% in 2019.
Mayotte (3/10): 84% of Maorais live below the national poverty line. 38% of Maorais are unemployed. The department has very high economic disparity, stemming from a neocolonial elite of expats from mainland France controlling most of the island’s little wealth. Mayotte has a decent universal healthcare system, boasting a few good hospitals on a small island, meaning that much of the population has ready access to hospitals of good quality.
Réunion (4/10): 50% of Réunionese live below the national poverty line. 49% of Réunionese are unemployed. The department has very high economic disparity, stemming from a neocolonial elite of expats from mainland France controlling most of the island’s little wealth. Réunion has a decent universal healthcare system, boasting a few good hospitals on a small island, meaning that much of the population has ready access to hospitals of good quality.
French Guiana (6/10): 26.5% of French Guianese live below the national poverty line. 30.5% of French Guianese are unemployed. The department has very high economic disparity, stemming largely from French corporations exploiting much of the department’s vast mineral and resource wealth. French Guiana has a strong universal healthcare system, with most of the population having ready access to healthcare of good or decent quality. Private hospitals are also available, and most French expats pay for private healthcare.