This chapter focuses on France and Germany, the two largest economies of the European Union, comparing recent economic and social developments. It finds that the two economies rely on different growth models, with important social implications. Germany’s postwar economic growth model was strongly based on exports and typically proved more volatile, while gross domestic product (GDP) growth in France was more focused on domestic demand and is usually more stable while on average generating a somewhat lower growth. The flexible German labour market allowed unemployment to decrease, albeit at the expense of higher income poverty and a larger low-wage sector. In France, instead, lower income poverty and a smaller low-wage sector were accompanied by a relatively higher unemployment rate. Recently, the gap between the two growth models and the resulting differences in social outcomes has appeared to be narrowing, reflecting the slowdown in the global cycle and more institutional focus in Germany on inclusiveness and in France on flexibility.