L'encouragement à l'auto-entrepreneuriat est-il une bonne politique publique pour l'esprit d'entreprendre et la création d'entreprises ?

Several countries have chosen to take up the fight against joblessness by fostering entrepreneurialism and thus stimulating the creation of businesses. The approach adopted in France has led to lifting the administrative and regulatory obstacles to becoming an entrepreneur. The advantages have been praised of "self-entrepreneurship", a recurrent theme in recent public policies. This article juxtaposes the viewpoints of a jurist and a manager. "Self-entrepreneurship" raises serious questions about how to stimulate the creation of businesses and thus of jobs. First of all, it concerns a variety of persons and needs, only part of which, strictly speaking, have to do with setting up a business. Secondly, far from "freeing" private initiative and propelling an entrepreneurial dynamics, the legislative framework deters and restricts initiatives. Finally, this public policy leads to the quantitative development of a "forced" form of entrepreneurship — business creation by necessity — that, as a few recent studies have shown, has little potential for creating lasting employment and ensuring the survival of these young organizations. The conclusion formulates suggestions for reconsidering how France can foster entrepreneurial behaviors, even among job-seekers.