Since 2006, the French-American Foundation has produced a wide array of publications on the theme of equal opportunity in France and the U.S. From comprehensive, full-length reports to more concise policy briefs, these publications tackle questions about education and employment, while weaving in discussions about the history, legal framework and socio-economic background of equal opportunity and anti-discrimination policies. This section also contains transcripts of several video interviews of French and American experts, produced by the French-American Foundation in 2010. All in all, you will find here a wealth of information to deepen your understanding of the issues.
Get the Acrobat ReaderThe Collection of Ethno-racial Statistics: Developments in the French Controversy
Brief / February 2008 / Available in English only
A 2007 amendment to France's immigration law would have made it easier for the state to collect ethnic and racial statistics for the French population. The measure met resistance from multiple quarters and was eventually held to be unconstitutional. As Daniel Sabbagh explains in this policy brief, this resistance illustrates the historical and legal differences between the United States and France regarding racial statistics.
Transcript of Interview of Dominique Sopo by Daniel Sabbagh
Interview Transcript / January 2010 / Available in French and in English
This is the transcript of a video interview between Dominique Sopo, president of SOS Racisme, the most influential grassroots organization in France, and Daniel Sabbagh, Senior Research Fellow at CERI – Sciences Po and scientific advisor to the Equality of Opportunity Program. This conversation was part of a series of interviews produced by the French-American Foundation between Daniel Sabbagh and five French experts on the theme of equal opportunity. The following themes were discussed:
Transcript of Interview of Louis-Georges Tin by Daniel Sabbagh
Interview Transcript / January 2010 / Available in French and in English
This is the transcript of a video interview between Louis Georges Tin, Vice President of the Conseil Représentatif des Associations Noires (translated: Representative Council of Black Associations), and Daniel Sabbagh, Senior Research Fellow at CERI – Sciences Po and scientific advisor to the Equality of Opportunity Program. This conversation was part of a series of interviews produced by the French-American Foundation between Daniel Sabbagh and five French experts on the theme of equal opportunity. The following themes were discussed:
Transcript of Interview of François Héran by Daniel Sabbagh
Interview Transcript / January 2010 / Available in French and in English
This is the transcript of a video interview between François Héran, former director of INED (French National Institute of Demographic Studies) and president of the Comité pour la Mesure et l’Évaluation de la Diversité et des Discriminations (translated: Committee for the Measuring and Evaluation of Diversity and Discriminations), and Daniel Sabbagh, Senior Research Fellow at CERI – Sciences Po and scientific advisor to the Equality of Opportunity Program.
Transcript of Interview of Gwénaële Calvès by Daniel Sabbagh
Interview Transcript / January 2010 / Available in French and in English
This is the transcript of a video interview between Gwénaële Calvès, professor of law at Université de Cergy-Pontoise, and Daniel Sabbagh, Senior Research Fellow at CERI – Sciences Po and scientific advisor to the Equality of Opportunity Program. This conversation was part of a series of interviews produced by the French-American Foundation between Daniel Sabbagh and five French experts on the theme of equal opportunity. The following themes were discussed:
Transcript of Interview of Kenneth Prewitt by Daniel Sabbagh
Interview Transcript / April 2010 / Available in French and in English
This is the transcript of a video interview between Kenneth Prewitt, professor of public affairs at Columbia University and former director of the U.S. Census Bureau, and Daniel Sabbagh, Senior Research Fellow at CERI – Sciences Po and scientific advisor to the Equality of Opportunity Program. This conversation was part of a series of interviews produced by the French-American Foundation between Daniel Sabbagh and five American experts on the theme of equal opportunity. The following themes were discussed:
Transcript of Interview of Devah Pager by Daniel Sabbagh
Interview Transcript / April 2010 / Available in French and in English
This is the transcript of an interview between Devah Pager, Associate Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, and Daniel Sabbagh, Senior Research Fellow at CERI – Sciences Po and scientific advisor to the Equality of Opportunity Program. This conversation was part of a series of interviews produced by the French-American Foundation between Daniel Sabbagh and five American experts on the theme of equal opportunity. The following themes were discussed:
Brief | Equal Treatment in Employment: Learning from American Antidiscrimination Policies
Brief / March 2009 / Available in French and in English
With 40 years of experience in antidiscrimination law and affirmative action, the United States constitutes a major point of reference for French policy-makers. Whether perceived positively or negatively, the American example can certainly make a significant contribution to the French debate on how to best foster equal opportunity. Moreover, examining the American antidiscrimination framework is particularly timely as France has just adopted European-level directives that require developing tools for identifying and combating all forms of discrimination, especially indirect discrimination.
Headscarves, Hairstyles and Culture as a Civil Right: A Critique
Report / May 2011 / Available in French and in English
In this paper, Professor Richard Ford (Stanford Law School) argues that the American experience with civil rights – requiring the accommodation of distinctive group practices and cultural affections – largely vindicates France’s concerns over the recent headscarf controversy.
