## Spending Efficiency and Reforms: France

_Selected Issues Papers, February 28, 2023_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Spending Efficiency and Reforms: France](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/selected-issues-papers/issues/2023/03/01/spending-efficiency-and-reforms-france-530379)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/publications/selected-issues-papers/issues/2023/03/01/spending-efficiency-and-reforms-france-530379/index.md)
- [Structured JSON version](/en/publications/selected-issues-papers/issues/2023/03/01/spending-efficiency-and-reforms-france-530379/index.json)
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## Bibliographic details
- Authors: Iulia Ruxandra Teodoru, Ruud Vermeulen
- Published: February 28, 2023
- Series: Selected Issues Papers
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400236334.018

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### Overview
- Purpose: To identify areas where scope for savings or efficiency gains exist in France to rebuild fiscal buffers after large fiscal responses to successive shocks over 2020-22.
- Key conclusion: France will need to reverse the trend spending increase observed over the last three decades through structural spending reforms.
- Sectors examined: social protection, health, education, civil service, and tax expenditures.
- Objective of reforms: Preserve or improve outcomes while generating savings to help meet medium-term adjustment needs.

### Analytical approach
- Comparative evaluation of the level and efficiency of public spending in France relative to European peers.
- Methods used:
  - Benchmarking analysis.
  - Stochastic frontier analysis to derive efficiency frontiers.

### Main findings
- There exist areas where savings or efficiency gains are feasible based on benchmarking and frontier analysis.
- Target areas for reform include:
  - Social protection.
  - Health.
  - Education.
  - Civil service.
  - Tax expenditures (rationalization).

### Policy recommendations
- Implement structural spending reforms aimed at reversing the multi-decade trend of rising spending.
- Reform social protection, health, education, and civil service systems to preserve or improve outcomes while reducing costs.
- Rationalize tax expenditures to improve fiscal space without undermining policy objectives.
- Use identified efficiency gains and savings to rebuild fiscal buffers and meet medium-term adjustment needs.

### Key statistics and publication identifiers
- Publication date: February 28, 2023
- Pages: 32
- Volume: 2023
- Issue: 014
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400236334.018
- ISBN: 9798400236334
- ISSN: 2958-7875
- Stock No: SIPEA2023014

*Source: Spending Efficiency and Reforms: France, Selected Issues Paper No. 2023/014 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400236334.018).*

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## Content in this bundle

- **Spending Efficiency and Reforms: France; Selected Issues Paper No. 2023/014; January 10, 2023**
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_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/selected-issues-papers/issues/2023/03/01/spending-efficiency-and-reforms-france-530379_