Citizen Engagement in the Regions: The Illuminating Example of “Initiative France”

This article by Jean-Pierre Worms forms part of the series begun in our September-October issue on the contribution made by companies to the common good. It is in three parts, which complement each other closely. In the first section, Worms stresses the colossal scale of the challenges facing us today, particularly at the ecological level, and hence the responsibilities we bear. In the second, he points out the limitations of — if not, indeed, the distortions produced by — a strictly rational conception of the economy, which leaves out of account the essential human factor, a factor whose boundless virtues he demonstrates. But this is not a purely exhortatory piece — far from it — as can be seen from the third section, in which Jean-Pierre Worms tells the story of “Initiative France”, which was founded in 1980 to promote the creation (and resumption) of activities and jobs in the regions. He relates the success of that project and provides some insights into how it was achieved.