Shutting Down ENA & Government in the Entrepreneurial Age

European Straits #118

Dear all,

The roof and spire of Notre-Dame burnt down a little more than one week ago. That same night, Emmanuel Macron had planned to address the nation in a televised speech concluding the “Grand débat”—the series of townhall meetings and online contributions that was designed as the remedy to the Gilets jaunes crisis. Needless to say, the speech was postponed. It’s now set to happen this Thursday.

In the meantime, there has been much speculation about what was in the speech. According to journalists, one of the most resounding proposals was the shutting down of the Ecole nationale d’administration—the prestigious, selective school, known by its French initials of ‘ENA’, that ambitious French people must go through to access the most senior positions in government.

To my surprise, getting rid of ENA is a topic that resonates far beyond French borders. The Financial Times asked me to contribute an op-ed to offer my point of view as an alumnus ➡️ Closing the Ena government school will no…