The Foundation for Political Innovation (; Fondapol) is a French think tank created in 2004. Under the leadership of Dominique Reynié since 2008, it is part of a "liberal, progressive and European" perspective. The think tank considers itself independent and aims to promote political innovation regarding social, educational and European issues.Comment les think tanks surfent sur la présidentielle, les Echos, February 8, 2017 Recognised as a public interest organisation, the Foundation presents itself as an independent space dedicated to expertise, reflection, and exchange, aiming to contribute to the pluralism of thought and the renewal of public debate.
History Creation of the foundation The Foundation was created in 2004 on the initiative of Jérôme Monod, adviser to Jacques Chirac (former President of the French republic), with the support of the UMP (right-wing party). It was recognized of public interest by a public decree of the Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin at the time, on April 15 of the same year.Décret du 14 avril 2004 portant reconnaissance d'une fondation comme établissement d'utilité publique , LegiFrance, April 15, 2004
Between 2004 and 2008, the executive director of the Foundation was by Franck Debié.
Appointment of Dominique Reynié as executive director
Since October 2008, the Foundation has been headed by Dominique Reynié, professor at Sciences Po, who affirms the "liberal, progressive and European" positioning of the Foundation. In 2009, Nicolas Bazire became Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Foundation, a position he still holds today.Les think tanks, des idées en l'air, le Monde, January 1, 2012
In 2010, the Foundation initiated the first Think Tank Forum, an event hosted at the Sorbonne, bringing together the main French think tanks around discussions on major societal issues. Two more editions will follow in 2011 and 2013.Les think tanks, « boîtes à idées » des candidats à la présidentielle, le Parisien, 21 November 2011
In November 2013, the Foundation organized an event lasting twenty-four hours at the Maison de la Mutualité, around the theme "We are the Progress!". Over 170 speakers took turns speaking for 10 minutes, in the form of testimonials and proposals on major social issues.( Progrès, le retour, l'Opinion, January 6, 2014Suivez en live les 24 heures de l’évènement “le progrès c’est nous!” de la Fondapol, Atlantico, November 16, 2013
Research work and studies The Foundation for Political Innovation organizes its research work around four main topics : economics growth, ecology, values and digital. Its work addresses, through these four genera topics, all major political, economic and social issues. It contributes to the public debate with studies, surveys, and by organising events (conferences, seminars).
Economics
In 2011, the Foundation proposes "12 ideas for 2012". Made for the presidential election, these recommendation are intended, according to the executive director of the Foundation, to "redefine a social project".
Concerning the economy, the Foundation advocates, in particular, the introduction a “golden rule” regarding the French fiscal policy, a reduction in taxation, a revival of privatizations, a reduction in health expenditure and the pursuit of the rule of non-replacement of one in two officials. According to the Foundation, and in line with its liberal stance, " the State is not meant to reduce inequalities" and should "give up some areas of competence" to the benefit of the private sector.12 IDÉES POUR 2012, Fondapol, Décember 8, 2011
In 2015, the scientist Idriss Aberkane publishes for the Foundation a note on the economy of knowledge.L’économie de la connaissance, une histoire d’amour et de savoirs, le Monde, May 28, 2015
In 2016, jurists Sophie Vermeille, Mathieu Kohmann and Mathieu Luinaud publish a note under the title "A right for innovation and growth", in which they denounce a French law deemed "anachronistic", which condemns innovation and inefficient from an economic point of view.
The same year, the foundation publishes a note on public broadcasting restructuring, criticized by Mathieu Gallet, Radio France's managing director. In this note, Fondapol recommends that the public audiovisual sector should be reorganized around a lighter structure centered on the production and diffusion of cultural contents, differentiating it from private channels.« La classe dirigeante refuse d’admettre que l’audiovisuel public a besoin d’une remise à plat », le Monde, September 19, 2016
In April 2017, the Foundation offered to review the public debt's evaluation criteria and its implications, in comparison with the structure imposed by the Treaty of Maastricht. This text aims at changing the perception of the economic reality of a given country and at assessing its priorities in terms of public expenditures. « Dette publique : la mesurer, la réduire ». Par Jean-Marc DANIEL , Presse Agence, 23 avril 2017
Society
The Foundation has published several notes and surveys on the middle classes and youth.Les classes moyennes adaptent leurs modes de consommation à la crise, la Tribune, November 11, 2010
In 2011, the Foundation for Political Innovation publishes a major international survey on youth, revealing that barely 47% of French aged between 16 and 29 are satisfied with the time in which they live.Le "péril jeune", ou comment s'en prémunir, le Monde, February 16, 2012
The study also reveals an intergenerational break between graduates and non graduates. To fight these fractures, the foundation recommends, among other things, facilitating young people's access to economic, social and political responsibilities, and the introduction of a tax system more in favour of young people.
In "12 Ideas for 2012", the Foundation is particularly in favor of the opening of marriage and adoption to same-sex couples and the selection at the entrance of the university.
In June 2018, the Foundation published the results of a poll study conducted by Ipsos about youth addictions. The Foundation presented "worrying" results pertaining to the consumption levels of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, porn, and video games, as well as the usage of screens for 14-24 year-olds. According to this study, 8% of youth would consume pornographic content every day, and over one young people out of ten would gamble at least once a week.Porno, drogues, jeux vidéo: L'enquête alarmante sur les addictions chez les jeunes, 20 minutes, le 8 juin 2018Ados et porno : l’inquiétante dérive, Le Parisien, le 7 juin 2018« Porno addiction » : nouvel enjeu de société, France Renaissance, le 19 avril 2017
Technology and digital
Through a blog named Anthropotechnie, hosted by Elisabeth de Castex, the foundation studies more in depth the contribution of technologies to the field of health (telemedicine, big data, artificial intelligence, robotics or genomics).
In 2011, Eddy Fougier addresses for the Foundation the theme of resistance to new technologies, and movements denouncing “misguided” science, analyzing in particular the case of anti-GMOs.Contre les technosciences : "horreur technologique" ou néo-obscurantisme ?, le Monde, July 28, 2011
In 2016, the Foundation publishes a study on blockchain under the title "blockchain or distributed trust".La «blockchain», une révolution qui s'invite au Parlement, Libération, June 9, 2016
On the subject of artificial intelligence, Serge Soudoplatoff published in 2018 for the foundation a note highlighting what he refers to as "the three major ruptures of 2011" which allowed the development of artificial intelligence: the introduction of a more sophisticated category of algorithms such as convolutional neural networks, the arrival on the market of low cost graphic processors capable of performing a large number of calculations, the availability of large databases correctly annotated, allowing a finer learning.Aux origines de l'intelligence artificielle, France Culture, March 31, 2018
In a study on industrial robotization published in 2012, written by Robin Rivaton, the Foundation reveals that France is one of the European countries most hostile to robotization.Y a-t-il quatre fois moins de robots en France qu'en Allemagne ?, France Inter, February 11, 2017
In 2017, Nicolas Bouzou and Christophe Marques published a note for the Foundation, on the theme "Hospital: liberating innovation", imagining the future of public health at the time of the NBIC (nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, big data and cognitive sciences).L’hôpital, l’intelligence artificielle et le patient, le Monde, April 13, 2017
In March 2018, the Foundation's Executive Officer, Dominique Reynié, defended medical digitalisation, in particular telemedicine, in order to efficiently combat the lack of doctors in certain regions of France.« Mutations » explore les déserts médicaux mutalité.fr, 26 mars 2018
Politics
Among the Foundation's political studies, you can find for instance studies dealing with the recomposition of the French political landscape., voters’ turnout and abstention,antinuclear and anti-GMO movements, the “zadiste” movement, extreme right movements, or populism.Quelle recomposition du paysage politique ?, le Monde, May 2, 2017« Partout, s’exprime une défiance croissante à l’égard des institutions de la démocratie », le Monde, November 2, 2017Des casseurs aux zadistes en passant par Nuit Debout, l'extrême-gauche est partout dans les médias mais combien de divisions réelles dans les urnes ?, Altantico, July 6, 2016En Autriche, l’extrême-droite est devenue «convenable», l'Opinion, December 17, 2017
In December 2016, in view of the presidential election, Fondapol participated in the launch of the participative site "Place de la santé", in partnership with the National Federation of French Mutuality and two other think tanks (the Jean Jaurès Foundation and Terra Nova). The objective is to understand the programs of the candidates and to feed the debate on the major issues of the health policy.Présidentielle: Que proposent les candidats en matière de santé ? Un site décrypte leurs propositions, 20 Minutes, December 1, 2016
Also in 2016, academic Julien Darmon proposed 10 recommendations, in the name of the Foundation, to improve public policy in the fight against poverty. Among the proposed recommendations are the simplification of social prestations, digitalisation, or the poverty measurement indicators’ review.« Mesures de la pauvreté, mesures contre la pauvreté », Commissariat général à l'égalité des territoires, 15 décembre 2016
In 2017, Fondapol publishes the results of an international survey (26 countries) on the evolution of the democratic sentiment and values in Europe under the title "Where is democracy going?".« Partout, s’exprime une défiance croissante à l’égard des institutions de la démocratie », le Monde, November 11, 2017 The conclusions of the survey underline that the main principles of liberal democracy are popular in all countries, but that to the same extent there is growing distrust of the institutions of democracy.