Barre, Raymond-Octave-Joseph

▪ 2008

 French economist and politician

born April 12, 1924, Saint-Denis, Réunion

died Aug. 25, 2007, Paris, France

as prime minister (1976–81) and minister of finance and economic affairs (1976–78) of France, instituted austerity measures to reduce government expenditures and to control inflation and oversaw his country's entry (1979) into the European Monetary System. Barre completed his early schooling in Réunion and then moved to Paris, where he studied law, economics, and politics at the University of Paris and at the Institute for Political Studies. He later taught at both institutions and at other universities. In 1959 he became an adviser to the government of Pres. Charles de Gaulle. As vice president (1967–72) for economic and financial affairs of the Commission of the European Communities, Barre was influential in drafting proposals for economic reforms and monetary union. He then became a director of the Banque de France. In January 1976 he was named minister of foreign trade, and the following August Pres. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing appointed him prime minister. In 1978 Barre was elected to the National Assembly, where he remained after Giscard lost the 1981 presidential election to François Mitterrand. Barre ran unsuccessfully for president in 1988. In 1995 he was elected mayor of Lyon, a position he held until 2001. Barre published a number of works on economics and politics, among them the widely used textbook Économie politique (1956), which frequently appeared in revised editions. Among his many honours was admission as a chevalier to the Legion of Honour.

* * *