Faust Paris Journal

Essays on culture, institutions and working life

This journal grew out of evenings spent around one of the livelier venues on the Seine, where conversations drifted between art, politics and what people actually did for a living. The pieces here keep that spirit. They look at how institutions shape careers and how careers shape the culture around them.

Expect comparisons, history and the occasional opinion held a little too firmly. New essays appear when they are ready, not on a schedule.

Recent essay

Institutions

Civil Service Exams Around the World: France, UK, Malaysia Compared

Three countries, three philosophies of selection. The French concours, the British Fast Stream and Malaysia's psychometric screening reveal what each state believes a good official looks like.