Jean Matouk
Jean Matouk | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 18, 1937 France |
| Died | October 24, 2020 (aged 83) |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, banker, university professor |
| Known for | Theorist of socialist finance; President of Banque Chaix, Caisse nationale de l'énergie, Société Marseillaise de Crédit |
Jean Robert François Matouk (18 June 1937 – 24 or 25 October 2020) was a prominent French economist, banker, and university professor specializing in economics.
Biography
Matouk was born into a Lebanese Maronite Christian family; his father practiced law. He pursued his education at Lycée Louis-le-Grand, where he obtained a physics diploma, followed by a doctorate and agrégation in economics. His academic career included teaching economics at the University of Montpellier 1 as well as positions abroad in the Netherlands and Germany. Professionally, Matouk held leadership roles as President of Banque Chaix (1982–1986), Caisse nationale de l'énergie (1988–1992), and Société Marseillaise de Crédit (1992–1996). The newspaper Le Monde characterized him as a "theorist of socialist finance." Additionally, he provided economic analysis on Europe 1 and contributed writings to outlets such as L'Obs and La Tribune.
Matouk became a member of the Socialist Party in 1972 and joined its executive committee by 1979. During the 1970s, he served as a municipal councillor in Nîmes. He played a key role as an economic advisor in organizing François Mitterrand's 1981 presidential campaign within the Gard region and also stood unsuccessfully for legislative office that same year.
In 2006, he co-established the Cercle nîmois de réflexion critique, which operated until 2008. His election to the Académie de Nîmes occurred in 2013, and he maintained an affiliation with the Grand Orient de France.
Matouk married Marie-Françoise Cazes, president of the Association culturelle et humanité, in 1984; she passed away in 2020. Jean Matouk died from complications related to COVID-19 in Nîmes between 24 and 25 October 2020 at age 83.
Publications
- La Gauche peut sauver l'entreprise (1978)
- Le Languedoc - Roussillon et l'avenir (1979)
- Le Socialisme libéral (1987)
- Systèmes financiers comparés (1990)
- La Bourse (2000)
- Mondialisation – Altermondialisation (2005)
- L'Humanité à la croisée des chemins (2006)
- La Croissance économique en question (2009)
- L'Europe et le Destin de la démocratie (2019)
Distinctions
- Officer of the Legion of Honour (2013)