The Rationality of French Investors Before World War I : A Cliometric Contribution

International audienceThis paper can be seen as an illustration of the cliometric approach and its contribution to the knowledge of French international capital movements before WW1. Using a formal theoretical framework and advanced econometric technics improves our understanding of the influences of French capital exports from the end of the 19th century until the eve of World War. The author's recall here the main findings of their research published in The Journal of Economic History (June 2004) which highlights the crucial incidence of economic and financial factors, whereas conventional wisdom limited the explanation of French capital exports to political and diplomatic causes