Should Tunisia be following the French model of doing business?

We are a pretty confused lot, it strikes me, as I think about two parallel complaints from and about two different parts of the world — Tunisia and France.

Tunisia has not done capitalism successfully enough, so goes the lament.

And France should not be trying to do capitalism successfully, so goes the other lament.

Let’s examine the facts of both cases.

Inflation has hit 8.1 per cent in Tunisia and there is widespread dissatisfaction over its moribund economy. Tunisia’s economic growth has averaged a dispiriting 1.8 per cent between 2011 and 2020, which is to say the decade since the uprising that overthrew dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Tunisians are unhappy that their economy contracted by 9.3 per cent in 2020 because of the pandemic. And they are despairing that unemployment stubbornly stands at 16.8 per cent, even hitting a high of 38.5 per cent among the young. Up goes the wail: Tunisia needs to do more to become business-friendly; more nimble; more willing to apply hard-eyed bala…