Political crisis exposes France's economic problems

Christian Odendahl, chief economist with the Centre for European Reform, speaks to Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris (from 01:18).

"Beardsley: Hollande's attempts to carry out reforms while trying to revive growth is risky, says Christian Odendahl, chief economist with the Centre for European Reform. Odendahl points out that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder did it, but he was not reelected.

Odendahl: The labor market reforms in Germany in the mid-2000s have also done by a center-left government against the fierce resistance of the left. I mean, it has basically split the Social Democrats in Germany and basically led to a long spell of government of the conservative party later on. And Hollande knows that.

...Beardsley: Economist Odendahl says to his credit, Hollande is sitting union heads and employers down together to try to restructure the French labor market."