Why France Is in Crisis

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<p>For weeks, thousands of high school students in France have been out in the streets protesting the conditions of public schools. They want better funding, something that won’t be easy with the current state of French finances.</p><p>Mark Landler, the Paris bureau chief, explains why after years of overspending, France is in crisis, and is driving toward a fiscal cliff.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/mark-landler" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Mark Landler</strong></a>, the Paris bureau chief of The New York Times.</p><p>Background reading:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>France’s<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/08/business/france-bond-yields.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> debt problem</a> is a warning to the world.</li><li>Understand the country’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/world/france-student-protests-kenya-robots.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">polycrisis.</a></li><li>For the resurgent far left, the protests are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/08/world/europe/france-protests-far-left-melenchon.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an opening and a threat.</a></li></ul><p>Photo: Miguel Medina/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images</p> <p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p><p> </p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>