Anaïs Voy-Gillis holds a PhD in geography from the French Institute of Geopolitics. Her research focuses on industry, the challenges of reindustrializing France, and the rise of nationalism in Europe. She is currently the Director of Strategy & CSR at the Humens group and an associate researcher at the IAE of Poitiers.
In her third book, Pour une Révolution Industrielle (“For an Industrial Revolution”), Anaïs Voy-Gillis tackles the historical issue of French deindustrialization, analyzing its causes and proposing solutions. Her objective is twofold: to retrace the events leading to the current situation and to explore ways to address them.
Laying the Theoretical Foundations
In the first sections, the author draws on philosophical and theoretical references to establish the basis of her argument. She begins by questioning the very definition of “industry”—a seemingly obvious term that actually carries numerous interpretations and nuances. This approach prompts the reader to reflect on their own perception of industry and its implications for the reindustrialization debate.
A Diagnosis: The Decline of French Industry
The book highlights the stark reality of French deindustrialization. In just a few decades, the share of industry in GDP has fallen from 19% to 10%. Furthermore, the sector’s productivity has declined: despite an increase in industrial jobs over the past 20 years, the added value of manufactured goods has stagnated. This trend illustrates the loss of competitiveness within France’s industrial fabric. To help us understand this decline, the author revisits France’s industrial history. Once a leading industrial power and a pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, France demonstrated strong innovation capabilities in the 20th century (Airbus, high-speed trains, etc.). However, its decline is now evident. Anaïs Voy-Gillis attributes this to the rise of liberal economic doctrine and the consequences of a political choice—the fabless model. Convinced that France could remain competitive by focusing on high-value-added sectors at the end of the value chain, policymakers encouraged deindustrialization and devalued manual labor. The outcome was inevitable: France is no longer a major industrial nation.
The author also criticizes the government’s inadequate response, arguing that it has failed to take the bold measures necessary to support French industry. She specifically questions the effectiveness and conditionality of public policies—an issue of great interest to economists at the Chair. She illustrates this point with the example of subsidies granted to the automotive sector during the COVID crisis. Despite billions of euros in public aid, these funds failed to prevent factory closures or the loss of tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs.
Reindustrialization: Beyond Financial Aid, a Political Project
After presenting a sobering picture of French industry’s decline, Anaïs Voy-Gillis turns to her proposals. The foundation of her argument is that technical measures—such as financing and subsidies—are necessary but insufficient. The key, she argues, lies in building a compelling national narrative around industry—one that unites citizens and drives long-term momentum. She emphasizes the importance of strong political vision: “The will to reindustrialize is a good thing, but its sustainability depends on the narrative explaining why we are doing it.”
She then outlines her recommendations, calling for political courage in creating a resilient economy. Her proposals include reshoring activities to strengthen sovereignty, maintaining and expanding existing industries, and concentrating efforts on strategic sectors [1] . While state aid would likely play a role, she also advocates for stronger collaboration between industrial players (such as joint recruitment strategies), co-investment, and leveraging public procurement as a policy tool. Additionally, she highlights that the higher costs associated with reshoring would bring long-term benefits, including economic stability, lower unemployment, and coherence with the broader national narrative.
Reindustrialization and the Environment: A Common Challenge
In the final section of her book, Anaïs Voy-Gillis examines environmental concerns. While France’s direct emissions have declined in recent decades, its overall carbon footprint has increased due to offshoring and imports. She argues for a reindustrialization strategy aligned with the ecological transition, leveraging France’s low-carbon energy mix to reduce the environmental impact of production. For her, industry and ecology are not mutually exclusive; rather, they must progress together. She also stresses the importance of preserving biodiversity, which is essential for the long-term stability and balance of our system.
A Bold and Well-Argued Vision
With For an Industrial Revolution, Anaïs Voy-Gillis delivers an uncompromising analysis of France’s industrial decline. Her book, both rigorous and engaged, sheds light on the strategic mistakes of recent decades while proposing concrete solutions. Drawing on her research and deep sectoral expertise, she goes beyond mere diagnosis to offer a bold political and economic vision, rooted in a unifying national narrative. A project which, in her view, could reconcile industrial development, social concerns, and ecological transition.
[i] Voy-Gillis, A., Pour une Révolution Industrielle, Ed. Presses De La Cite, January 2025, pp.288.
[1] Thinkerview : « La France en perdition : Pourquoi et à quoi s’attendre ? Anaïs Voy-Gillis et Maroun Eddé », January 2025