Éloge à l'État/Praise to the State

L'État, cette gigantesque machine que l'on adore détester, est pourtant nécessaire et encore plus important SOUHAITABLE. C'est la lecture de l'article de James Surowiecki dans Foreign Affairs
qui m'a incité à soulever ce propos. On peut y lire ceci: "The point is that far from being the inevitable product of a strong economy, environmental improvement is often the result of political struggles that could very easily have gone the other way. It is also unlikely to occur in the absence of a strong state that is accountable to its citizens."

En effet, si l'on veut sortir vivant du combat contre les changements climatiques, il est préférable de s'en remettre au gouvernement plutôt qu'au libre marché. Le libre marché ne peut réellement fonctionner dans le cas des changements climatiques car le marché laissé à lui-même n'est pas capable de prendre en contre les externalités négatives. La bourse du carbone est une bonne solution, mais c'est une solution où le marché est règlementé.

Pour réellement comprendre l'importance de l'État, il faut regarder la situation dans les pays d'Amérique latine, d'Afrique et d'Asie. Sans État pour garantir le respect des lois, la situation est chaotique. Sans sécurité assurée par la police, sans règlementation adéquate et sans politiques sociales qui redistribuent en partie la richesse, un pays ne peut réellement aspirer à prospérer et apporter le bonheur à sa population.

Le problème est plus de savoir modérer l'appétit de l'État qui voudrait tout contrôler, ce qui s'apparente à l'ancien modèle soviétique. Les soviétiques se sont fourvoyés en tentant de toût contrôler et les néo-libéraux qui n'en ont que pour le juste marché ont également tord de vouloir trop réduire le rôle de l'État. Bref, c'est la politique du juste milieu qui semble la meilleure.
______________________________________________
The State, this gigantic machine that we love to hate, is however necessary and even more importantly DESIRABLE. It is the reading of the article of James Surowiecki in Foreign Affairs
that incited me to bring up this statement. In the article, we can read the following: "The point is that far from being the inevitable product of a strong economy, environmental improvement is often the result of political struggles that could very easily have gone the other way. It is also unlikely to occur in the absence of a strong state that is accountable to its citizens."

In reality, if we want to win the combat against climate change, it is preferable to rely on the government instead of the market. Free market can not really function in the case of climate change because the market left on its own is not able to take into consideration the negative externalities. A carbon stock exchange market is a good solution, but it is a solution where the market is regulated.

To really understand the importance of the State, one must look at the situation of the countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Without the State guaranteeing the respect of laws, the situation is chaotic. Without security assured by the police, without adequate regulation and without social policies that redistribute parts of the wealth, a country can not really aspire to prosperity et bring happiness to its population.

The problem is rather about knowing to restrain the State that would like to control, everything, which is similar to the former soviet model. The soviets were wrong when they tried to control everything and the neo-liberals that are feverishly in favor of free markets are also wrong in their attemp to reduce too much the role of the State. In the end, it seems that the policy of the "juste milieu" is the best.