Following Mario Polèse’s article which opens our dossier on “Greater Paris”, Jean-Claude Prager shows how the Paris region, which seems to have reached some limits in terms of economic dynamism, not unlike France itself, should and can rebound in the knowledge economy.
After reviewing the weaknesses of the Île-de-France in terms of employment and economic growth, he stresses its failings with regard to innovation, a crucial factor in determining the international rankings of rival metropolises (London, Tokyo, New York etc.). Jean-Claude Prager also underscores the essential place of human capital as one of the key factors where innovation and economic drawing power are concerned; hence the need to improve the education system and increase research provision, both regionally and nationally. Lastly, re-dynamizing French enterprise also involves new forms of state intervention and incentivization in favour of both enterprise creation and the consolidation of small and medium-sized companies. This is ground on which the Île-de-France could serve as a local test-bed for initiatives that could later be rolled out nationally. With such a vision, Jean-Claude Prager argues that the prospect of the development of an entity like Greater Paris represents a genuine opportunity for the Île-de-France region.
