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Économie du désordre mondial (Economy of Global Disorder) : A Best-Seller That Fuels Public Debate

Published on 19 October 2026

Erosion of multilateralism, strategic priorities, belief traps... As we begin the 2026 academic year, Jean Tirole and Karine Van der Straeten are contributing their insights to the public debate with the release of their book "The Economics of Global Disorder". Discover a selection of media appearances by these two distinguished members of the Toulouse School of Economics.

Published on September 10 by Albin Michel - PUF, Économie du désordre mondial sheds light on the profound changes our countries and their economies are undergoing. Diplomatic hardening, geopolitical insecurity, and attacks on free trade have reshuffled the deck of an order once based on cooperation among nations. In this new context, the economy has become a lever of power in the service of states, within an increasingly assertive balance of power.

Neither France nor Europe is doomed to decline. However, they must prove themselves capable of making decisive choices.

Faced with these changes, France and Europe appear to be lagging behind on several major strategic issues. They are thus exposed to a risk of falling behind technologically and economically, as well as to increased dependence. This raises two questions:

How can such a scenario be avoided ?
How can they ensure they are not relegated to a secondary role in the competition between the United States and China ?

In this book, Nobel Prize-winning economist Jean Tirole and Karine Van der Straeten — executive director of the Jean-Jacques Laffont-TSE Foundation — offer their perspective on these contemporary challenges and propose ways to address them. According to them, neither France nor Europe is doomed to decline. However, they must demonstrate the ability to make decisive choices. Only then will they be able to preserve the foundations of their economic, social, and democratic model.

Discover a selection of their media appearances.

Book presentation by Karine Van der Straeten & Jean Tirole:

Print Media:

L'Express, September 2, 2026: “A debt crisis would mean unprecedented austerity”: a warning from Nobel laureate Jean Tirole and Karine Van der Straeten.
L'Opinion, September 17, 2026: “Europeans are developing a considerable aversion to risk.”
Libération, September 10, 2026: “Interview with Jean Tirole and Karine Van der Straeten: ‘The RN is making numerous spending-heavy and demagogic proposals’”
La Dépêche, September 14, 2026: “INTERVIEW. ‘We must invest heavily in technology to avoid falling behind globally,’ says Jean Tirole, Nobel laureate in economics”

“This profoundly original work, which blends economics, geopolitics, political science, and psychology, sheds striking light on the major challenges of our time. Europeans will find in it a roadmap for avoiding their own decline. And after reading it, the French should be completely immune to the deceptions and lies of the presidential campaign.”

L'Express, 02/09/2026.