Tribute to Jean-Paul Fitoussi

The passing of Jean-Paul Fitoussi on April 15, 2022 plunges us into great sadness. Much more than a president of the French Economic Observatory (OFCE), he has, time and again, accompanied us both caringly through our projects. It is thanks to his support that the PRESAGE Gender Studies Programme emerged.

Jean-Paul Fitoussi was a great economist, as many have already pointed out. His contributions to economic theory, his contributions to the economic policy debate and his talents as a teacher have been described in many tributes to his memory.

The analysis of socio-economic inequalities occupied a prominent place in his reflections, in particular those due to unemployment. He denounced social injustice in all its forms. When we pointed out the lack of a gender equality perspective in the OFCE research work, key to understanding the functioning of our societies and our economies, he immediately approved. Thus, for the first time in 2004, the Revue de l’OFCE journal published a special issue on Women’s Work and Inequalities. A press conference was organised to promote it: an opportunity for Jean-Paul Fitoussi to give new impetus to our institution.

Then, when we told him about our project to create an academic programme dedicated to these questions and more broadly to the gender perspective in social sciences, his enthusiasm was immediate. As a committed economist involved in public debates, he was promptly convinced by the interest of our approach. The objective was to institutionalise gender studies at Sciences Po by creating a multidisciplinary research and teaching programme intended to disseminate these themes to students through a vast set of courses integrated into the Undergraduate College and the Graduate Schools.

He was not a mere guarantor, although certainly essential to carry out a project of such magnitude within Sciences Po. He was a key stakeholder. Thanks to him, we were able to discuss with Amartya Sen who agreed to be part of PRESAGE’s Advisory Board. This was an undeniable asset for anchoring this project internationally. He was personally involved in the emergence of the programme in 2010, including in the twists and turns around its institutional configuration (a Chair, a Pole, a Programme...?) and in the strategy for overcoming the resistance any new initiative brings about. He defended the project at Sciences Po and put his notoriety at its service. “Go ahead! Go for it!”, he told us. This was the best we could hope for. How else can we explain that this programme, intrinsically transversal and multidisciplinary, was established at the OFCE? Why has it held steady up until now? With the support of Jean-Paul Fitoussi, everything was possible!

In the everyday life, discussions with Jean-Paul Fitoussi were always an enjoyable and challenging time. His low voice forced you to pay attention to his words, his slow flow punctuated by "ums" and "I am thinking out loud" left you time to sharpen your arguments. He did not care about preconceived ideas, he who denounced "the forbidden debate", he who was indignant at the “pensée unique”, he who was worried by the dominant view. Going counter to a dominant viewpoint did not scare him; he even took a certain amount of pleasure in it.

It was easy to be won over by his enthusiasm and determination. His perseverance was comforting, encouraging.

We had the chance to get to know a warm-hearted man who will forever mark our memories. Thank you, dear Jean-Paul!

More

• Jean-Paul Fitoussi chaired the French Economic Observatory (OFCE) from 1989 to 2010.
• The special issue of Women's work and inequalities of the Revue de l'OFCE (FR)