Lobbying for Technology: The French Case

European Straits #22

Dear all,

France is a notoriously difficult place when it comes to doing business in technology. Regulatory frameworks have barely been adapted to fit the new technology-enabled business models. The local elite has yet to be educated on the institutional challenges of the new age. And entrenched incumbents have a strong grip on elected officials and civil servants, whom they constantly lobby so as to maintain the status quo. As someone in charge of public policy for a large US tech company once told me, “France represents 20% of our business and 80% of our regulatory problems”.

One reason is that the French economy is still dominated by the state. Hence it’s necessary to secure a good relationship with the government to exert influence on the overall state of things—something the tech industry has yet to achieve. There’s also a lack of diversity among the elite: many in French power circles know each other because they attended the same schools, live in the same neighborhoods, and start…