volontarisme

English translation: activism

21:05 Jan 10, 2017
French to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Economics
French term or phrase: volontarisme
Ok last question (I hope) from an analysis of the political and economic situation in a middle-income country:

This is part of a concluding bullet list so the surrounding text doesn't add any useful context.

"Se manifeste clairement la nécessité de renforcer et développer le secteur économique des hautes technologies à l’égard duquel il y a un fort besoin, ce qui pose, en l’occurrence, la question du *volontarisme* de l’Etat."

The high-tech question was addressed earlier in the document: "Le défi pour est alors de mettre en œuvre les nouveaux ressorts d’une croissance économique maintenue. Cela signifie le développement d’un secteur de haute technologie – pour alimenter le marché intérieur et pour développer les exportations – et le renforcement d’une main d’œuvre hautement qualifiée, permettant d’augmenter la productivité du travail toujours très faible à ce jour. En dépit de leur caractère stratégique, les deux manquent indéniablement." And then it talks about the need to attract FDI which will be hard in the currently tumultuous context, etc.

And later on: "Néanmoins, considérant que les coproductions et les transferts de technologie constituent les axes de leur stratégie d’acquisition, les industriels peuvent s’appuyer sur un fort engagement de l’Etat. Comme dans les défis économiques généraux que doit affronter le pays, le principal est d’assurer une montée en gamme contrôlée et sur une perspective de moyen terme. Or le pays ne semble pas posséder à ce stade d’innovations susceptibles d’entraîner des secteurs ignificatifs de la production de haute technologie, d’où l’importance des mesures prises au niveau R&D." And there is a whole section on the govt's various incentive to encourage R&D.

I initially translated the last part of the sentence as "which raises questions about the state's determination to do so", but I'm wondering if "volontarisme de l'état" should be translated more literally "state volontarism" (as per a previous thread, which has several suggestions that might fit). Or something else entirely?

I welcome any other suggestions, my brain is fried at this point!
Diana Huet de Guerville
France
Local time: 03:28
English translation:activism
Explanation:
Or: "interventionism". I understand it to mean the willingness of the state to intervene in a specific sector of the economy.
Selected response from:

Marco Solinas
Local time: 19:28
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +2activism
Marco Solinas
4state voluntarism/action
Barbara Cochran, MFA
4developmental leadership
Francois Boye
3 +1political will
Wendy Streitparth
Summary of reference entries provided
Voluntarisme
B D Finch

Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
activism


Explanation:
Or: "interventionism". I understand it to mean the willingness of the state to intervene in a specific sector of the economy.

Marco Solinas
Local time: 19:28
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard: I'm not sure activism works - to me it implies campaigning, often against governments. But interventionism is good.
43 mins

agree  Yolanda Broad
45 mins

neutral  Francois Boye: Activism is a word fraught with ambiguity, isn't it?
2 hrs

neutral  Nikki Scott-Despaigne: Hmmm... the idea of "volontarisme" is about willingness to intervene, which is not conveyed by activism. "Interventionism" is closer although it is about intervention as a policy; is that willingess?
14 hrs

neutral  B D Finch: agree with interventionism, not with activism.
17 hrs

neutral  Sheila Critchley: agree with willingness. Activism would not normally be conducted by a government, but rather by eg a campaigner or pressure group
22 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
state voluntarism/action


Explanation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voluntarism_(action

Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 22:28
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  B D Finch: Voluntarism means reliance on voluntary action by individuals. Your Wikipedia page doesn't exist, but redirects to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voluntaryism.
16 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
developmental leadership


Explanation:
It's incumbent upon the state to develop the economy. As a result, the strategic decisions are not left to the market. Instead, the market must align with the state leadership

Francois Boye
United States
Local time: 22:28
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 37
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15 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
political will


Explanation:
My take.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 23 hrs (2017-01-11 20:54:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

political will

Political intention or desire (in early use not as a fixed collocation); (later) specifically the firm intention or commitment on the part of a government to carry through a policy, especially one which is not immediately successful or popular.
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/political_will

Wendy Streitparth
Germany
Local time: 03:28
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sheila Critchley: or "willingness"
7 hrs
  -> Thanks, Horvats. 'Willingness' also works (but afraid I prefer 'will!)

neutral  Francois Boye: Why would there be a popular opposition to high technologies?
10 hrs
  -> Government is not always straightforward!
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Reference comments


17 hrs
Reference: Voluntarisme

Reference information:
This does not mean the same as "voluntarism" in English, at least not in the non-psychology context.



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 hrs (2017-01-11 14:40:44 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Though "interventionism" doesn't have the same direct meaning of motivation by belief in the will, it necessarily comes to the same thing, as interventionism is based on belief that intervening will work to achieve the desired goals.


    Reference: http://www.toupie.org/Dictionnaire/Volontarisme.htm
    Reference: http://www.lesechos.fr/06/09/2014/lesechos.fr/0203753913312_...
B D Finch
France
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12
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