Terra Nova is a French independent
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
or "Progressive Foundation" considered close to the
French Socialist Party, and later to the French President,
Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...
. It produces reports and analyses of current political issues and aims to contribute to public debate by formulating progressive policy solutions. Through its work it also seeks to contribute to the renewal of
social democracy
Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
and social democratic ideas in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and across
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
.
History
Terra Nova was set up in 2008 by
Olivier Ferrand (future Socialist Party deputy and former adviser to Prime Minister
Lionel Jospin
Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.
Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...
) in order to contribute to the intellectual renewal of left-wing politics. Since then, Terra Nova has gained significant influence in political and media circles, producing over 30 major reports between 2008 and 2012, which have been frequently reported in newspapers such as
Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
and
Libération
''Libération'' (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Initially positioned on the far-left of France's ...
. In 2009, it was a Terra Nova report of 2008 that was instrumental in persuading the Socialist Party to adopt a system of
open primaries
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...
(see
French Socialist Party presidential primary, 2011
The 2011 French Socialist Party presidential primary was the first open primary (''primaires citoyennes'') of the French Socialist Party and Radical Party of the Left for selecting their candidate for the 2012 presidential election. The filing ...
) for the
2012 French presidential election
Presidential elections in France, Presidential elections were held in France on 22 April 2012 (or 21 April in some overseas departments and territories), with a second round Two-round system, run-off held on 6 May (or 5 May for those same territ ...
. In the same year, another Terra Nova report proved controversial in arguing that the Left should rely less on a traditional
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
electorate and more on a broad coalition of women, young people, and ethnic minorities, all united by 'Progressive Values'.
Work
Terra Nova's work broadly consists of two different kinds of publication: long, detailed analyses of public policy issues known as 'reports', and shorter 'policy briefs' or 'notes' on current affairs, which are published on Terra Nova's website several times a week.
For the production on its analyses, Terra Nova relies on a broad network of external experts, largely academics, researchers, civil servants, and people with experience in relevant fields. These experts are organized into working groups based around a particular policy area, or 'theme', such as 'Education', 'Financial regulation' or 'Environment'.
Terra Nova also seeks to stimulate public debate and engagement with policy issues by organizing major public events, such as debates and round-tables with experts, leading politicians, and other public figures.
Lastly, Terra Nova engages with young people through its student wing, Terra Nova Etudiants, which similarly produces reports and policy briefings and organizes events.
Management
Since the death of founder
Olivier Ferrand in 2012, the President of Terra Nova was
François Chérèque
François Chérèque (1 June 1956 – 2 January 2017) was a French Trade unionist, and leader of the French trade union CFDT (French Democratic Confederation of Labour or ''Confédération française démocratique du travail'').
Early life
Franà ...
, former secretary-general of one of France's largest trade unions, the
CFDT
The French Democratic Confederation of Labour (french: link=no, Confédération française démocratique du travail, CFDT) is a national trade union center, one of the five major French confederations of trade unions, led since 2012 by Laurent B ...
. Together with a bureau, and an administrative council made up of a range of political, academic and business personalities, he oversees the work and political direction of Terra Nova, while day-to-day management is carried out by a Director-General. In June 2017, Chérèque was succeeded by
Lionel Zinsou
Lionel Zinsou (born 23 October 1953) is a French–Beninese economist and investment banker who was Prime Minister of Benin from 2015 to 2016. Since June 2017, he has been the president of Terra Nova, a centre-left French think tank.
Early ...
.
Political positions
Although officially independent and with no organizational links to any party, Terra Nova has traditionally been seen close to the Socialist Party. For example, founder
Olivier Ferrand was elected to the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
for the Socialist Party in 2012. However, Terra Nova has been unafraid to criticize official Socialist policy at times, and with a Socialist Party government since 2012 its role as an independent think tank has left it in a strong position to formulate independent policy analyses that do not necessarily take the government line.
As a left-wing think tank, Terra Nova was deeply critical of the policies of former President
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012.
Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...
, arguing that his fiscal policies benefited large businesses and the well-off at the expense of ordinary families, and considering his hard-line policies on immigration and security 'anti-republican'.
However, Terra Nova's positions have also elicited controversy within the Left, particularly its support for pension reform, and its desire to re-orient left-wing electoral strategy around an electorate based more on progressive values than class.
In 2009, it was a Terra Nova report of 2008 that was instrumental in persuading the Socialist Party to adopt a system of open primaries to choose its candidate for the 2012 Presidential Elections.
Since the election of the Socialist Party candidate
Francois Hollande to the French Presidency in the 2012 elections, Terra Nova has been seen as a critical friend of the government. Recently, Terra Nova's report on banking reform, which contained a proposal to separate the commercial and investment wings of major banks, was seen as a critique of the socialist government's more cautious policy.
Most recently, Terra Nova has called for major investment in pre-school and early childhood and one of the best ways to promote social mobility and more equal life chances.
Awards
In both 2011 and 2012, the Assembly of French Chambers of Commerce and Industry, together with the Observatory of French Think Tanks, awarded Terra Nova the prize for French Think Tank of the Year.
References
External links
Official website of Terra NovaOfficial website of Terra Nova Students
{{DEFAULTSORT:Terra Nova (think tank)
Political and economic think tanks based in France
2008 establishments in France
Organizations established in 2008
Socialist Party (France)