In France, Almost Everyone Depends on the State Without Realizing It[En France, presque tout le monde est fonctionnaire sans le savoir]

This article revisits the conventional distinction between the public and private sectors in France by shifting the focus from legal employment status to financial flows. It argues that a substantial share of incomes commonly considered "private" actually depends on public funding decisions. Drawing on data from national statistical agencies, public administrations, and sectoral institutions, the analysis highlights the pervasive role of subsidies, public procurement, regulated tariffs, tax credits, social insurance reimbursements, and financial guarantees in shaping economic activity. Public employment, healthcare professions, agriculture, culture, justice, construction, regulated industries, the press, and start-ups all appear deeply intertwined with the state. Rather than acting merely as a redistributive or corrective force, the state emerges as a central actor structuring markets and economic incentives. The article therefore challenges the simplistic opposition between civil servants and private-sector workers and proposes a broader understanding of public dependence within the contemporary French economy.