Technological elites in France and the United States

Abstract

Both in France and in the United States one function of the scientists and engineers dealing with the application of complex technological devices derived from the physical sciences is to establish the feasibility and the physical and economic operating conditions of an innovation. Members of this elite go through some academic or advanced technical or professional training to acquire the knowledge and skill, the outlook and the titles and degrees needed to perform their functions.1 At present, one young person in four in France, and slightly better than one in two in the United States, have some formal higher education; typical ratios for France were 12 per cent, in 1958, 15*6 per cent, in 1964, 22-4 per cent, in 1970; for the United States, they were 35 per cent, in 1959, 38-6 per cent, in 1964 and 46-5 per cent, in 1970. These numbers may be approaching a limit under the present rules and expectations of employment. There remains a diminishing but real social bias in admission to higher education both in France and in the United States. For example, in France children of wealthy or professional parents had an eight times better chance of admission to higher education than children of peasants, small shopkeepers or workers in 1959, a five times better chance in 1973, a three times better chance in 1977.2 While equivalence is difficult to establish, comparable figures for the United States are three to one in 1959 and 2*2 to one in 1965.3