Institut Montaigne
Founded in 2000, Institut Montaigne is a think tank based in Paris, France. Institut Montaigne's proposes public policy recommendations in a variety of policy fields to advance its agenda. It contracts experts from the French business community, academia, civil society and government. Research. Institut Montaigne focuses on four main policy fields: Institut Montaigne is also involved in promoting innovative democratic platforms. In 2011, the think tank led an ambitious research program under the supervision of Gilles Kepel on the suburban cities of Clichy-sous-Bois and Montfermeil where the 2005 riots sparked. The findings were published in  the book “Banlieue de la République”. This work was later completed by “Passion française”, a political essay based on a series of interviews conducted in the cities of Roubaix and Marseille to meet candidates of foreign origin who ran for the 2012 legislative elections. Institut Montaigne feeds the public debate by providing accurate data and assessment tools. During the 2012 presidential campaign, Institut Montaigne forecasted the budgetary impact of the main candidates’ programs. A similar initiative was undertaken during the 2014 municipal campaign in France's 10 largest cities, as well as for the 2015 regional campaign. During the 2017  presidential campaign, on top of quantitative analyses, it evaluated over 120 electoral program promises and proposals. Institut Montaigne also developed the first serious game dedicated to public finances, allowing players to understand how budgetary and macroeconomic policies impact the French public deficit and the national debt. Institut organizes political forums to which citizens are invited to draft new policies. For instance, in 2012, Institut Montaigne held a citizen's conference on the French healthcare system. A representative panel of 25 participants was informed of the functioning of the healthcare system, its challenges and its issues. After a series of workshops , the panel released a report in which it stated its main policy proposals. Activities. Institut Montaigne expresses concrete policy proposals to enhance both competitiveness and social cohesion. The ideas are conveyed through four types of publications: Recent publications (in English) Controversies. Actions during the 2012 presidential campaign. In April 2012, the Montaigne Institute was criticized for doing disguised advertising for Nicolas Sarkozy, while the advertising of political parties is prohibited. Indeed, a proposal resulting from the advertising campaign carried out from March to April by the Montaigne institute was compared to certain remarks made by the president-candidate, Nicolas Sarkozy , leading the CSA to investigate the file. This proposal had already been formulated by the Montaigne Institute in 2006 in a study by Jacques Bichot. Other proposals put forward during this campaign echo François Hollande's programs, such as those on priority in primary school, defended by the Montaigne Institute in its report Vaincre Failure in Primary School in 2010. Following the intervention of the CSA, BFMTV, BFM Radio or even RMC cease broadcasting for the duration of the campaign of the spots of the Institut Montaigne in favor of Nicolas Sarkozy's proposals. The Montaigne Institute also quantified the  measures proposed by the candidates for the presidential election, in partnership with the newspaper Les Échos. The quality of this work has been disputed; for Médiapart ""the ideological presuppositions, the absence of a guarantee on the impartiality of the calculations or the secret kept on the identity of the" encryptors "cast suspicion on this project"". During the campaign, La Chaîne européenne (LCP) had Laurent Bigorgne, then director of the Montaigne Institute, as editorial writer for his political program Thèmes de campagne. This program, presented by Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, received, from March to June 2012, Pascal Lamy, Nicole Notat, Thierry Breton  and Jacques Attali. Actions during the 2017 presidential campaign. The president of the institute, Laurent Bigorgne, contributed to Emmanuel Macron's campaign from April 2016 on. The analysis of the candidates' economic programs by the Montaigne Institute and the Les Échos newspaper supported that of Emmanuel Macron and severely criticized left wing candidates Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Benoit Hamon. The institute has subsequently been close to Macrons's government. Prime Minister Édouard Philippe attended in November 2018 the lunch between member companies and political figures that the think tank organizes. Laurent Bigorgne was appointed in June 2018 to the Public  Action Committee 2022, installed by the prime minister to design the state reform project, then was invited to debate with Emmanuel Macron on March 22, 2019, with sixty-five other intellectuals, to deal with the yellow vests crisis. Gilles Babinet, the institute's referent on the digital issue, was appointed by the government as vice-president of the National Digital Council in May 2018. The Institut Montaigne, financial regulation, and the subject of public or private corruption. The institute details its work and firm positions in terms of financial regulation and against bribery on the French version of this entry . The presence on the steering committee of Marwan Lahoud, a former Airbus executive cited by numerous publications as being at the center of a commission system, in the large-scale corruption scandal concerning Airbus., also raises the question of the Institut Montaigne's report on these questions. Sexual harassment. The long-time director of the institute, Laurent Bigorgne, was accused in February 2022 of drugging with MDMA a younger staff member whom he was sexually pursuing. Bigorgne subsequently resigned. Organisation. Experts. Institut Montaigne brings together a number of experts who provide research, policy recommendations, and analyses on a full range  of public policy issues, in particular on our blogs. Permanent staff. Laurent Bigorgne has been the managing director of Institut Montaigne since 2011. Thirty-five permanent members of staff work there. Budget and financial resources. Institut Montaigne is a non-profit organization, depending on the French law of 1901. In 2020, Institut Montaigne's annual budget amounted to 6.6 million euros. More than 190 companies, of all sizes and all industries, contribute every year to its operation, each one of them representing less than 2% of the total budget. About 300 legal persons also support Institut Montaigne's procedure. Their  total support represents 1% of the operating budget of Institut Montaigne. Members (the list is current as of 18 December 2017):