SES (Economics & Social Sciences) Première Study Sheet 2026

SES Première — Full Programme Overview

The French Première SES (Sciences Économiques et Sociales) course introduces three core disciplines: economics, sociology & political science, and cross-cutting perspectives. The official 2025-2026 curriculum comprises ten chapters covering fundamental concepts, key thinkers, and analytical methods. This sheet summarises the entire programme.

Part 1 — Economics

Chapter 1: How Does a Competitive Market Work?

The supply and demand model explains price formation in a competitive market. The demand curve slopes downward (higher prices reduce quantity demanded) and the supply curve slopes upward (higher prices incentivise greater production). The equilibrium price clears the market — no surplus or shortage remains. Adam Smith's "invisible hand" describes how self-interested agents produce socially efficient outcomes.

Key distinctions: a movement along a curve (price change) vs. a shift of the entire curve (change in conditions such as income, tastes, or production costs). Consumer surplus and producer surplus are maximised at the competitive equilibrium (Pareto efficiency). Price elasticity of demand measures how sensitive quantity demanded is to price changes — inelastic for necessities, elastic for goods with many substitutes.

Chapter 2: Imperfectly Competitive Markets

Real markets rarely meet the conditions of perfect competition. Monopoly (a single seller, price above marginal cost, deadweight loss), oligopoly (a few firms, strategic interdependence analysed through game theory and the Nash equilibrium), and monopolistic competition (Chamberlin, Robinson — many firms selling differentiated products). Barriers to entry (economies of scale, patents, regulation) sustain market power. Competition policy (antitrust authorities) targets cartels, abuse of dominance, and harmful mergers.

Chapter 3: Market Failures

Three key failures justify government intervention:

• Asymmetric information: adverse selection (Akerlof's "market for lemons" — bad products drive out good ones before the transaction) and moral hazard (behavioural change after the transaction, e.g. insured individuals taking more risk). Solutions include signalling, screening, and regulation.

• Externalities: negative externalities (pollution — social cost exceeds private cost, leading to overproduction) and positive externalities (education — social benefit exceeds private benefit, leading to underproduction). Tools: Pigouvian taxation (Pigou), subsidies, regulation, tradeable permits (Coase).

• Public goods: characterised by non-rivalry and non-excludability (e.g. street lighting, national defence). The free-rider problem prevents efficient market provision; the state must step in.

Chapter 4: Money and Monetary Policy

Money serves three functions: unit of account, medium of exchange, and store of value. Modern money is largely scriptural (bank deposits, over 90% of the money supply) rather than fiduciary (notes and coins). The money supply is measured by aggregates M1, M2, and M3.

Money creation occurs when commercial banks grant loans — "loans create deposits." Banks create scriptural money ex nihilo; it is destroyed when loans are repaid. Constraints include reserve requirements, Basel III prudential ratios, and cash withdrawals.

The European Central Bank (ECB) sets key interest rates to influence credit conditions. Lowering rates stimulates borrowing and investment (expansionary policy); raising rates curbs inflation (restrictive policy). The ECB's primary mandate is price stability (inflation close to 2%).

Part 2 — Sociology & Political Science

Chapter 5: Socialisation and Behavioural Differences

Socialisation is the process by which individuals internalise the norms and values of their society. Primary socialisation (childhood — family and school) builds the foundation of social identity. Secondary socialisation (adulthood — work, peers, media) continues throughout life.

Socialisation is differentiated by gender (Darmon — gendered toys, expectations, and stereotypes) and by social class (Bourdieu — the habitus transmits dispositions linked to one's class of origin; cultural capital shapes academic success). Lahire (L'Homme pluriel, 1998) nuances Bourdieu by showing that individuals acquire plural dispositions from multiple, sometimes contradictory, socialisation contexts.

Chapter 6: Social Bonds

Durkheim distinguishes mechanical solidarity (traditional societies — cohesion through resemblance) from organic solidarity (modern societies — cohesion through the division of labour and complementarity). Social groups include primary (Cooley — small, affective) and secondary (large, functional) groups, as well as in-groups and out-groups.

Granovetter (The Strength of Weak Ties, 1973) showed that weak ties provide access to new information and job opportunities more effectively than strong ties. Social capital (Bourdieu, Putnam) is the set of social relationships an individual or community can mobilise. Digital social networks expand sociability but raise questions about the depth of online connections.

Chapter 7: Deviance

Deviance is the transgression of social norms — it is relative across societies and eras. Becker (Outsiders, 1963) argues deviance is not intrinsic to an act but the result of labelling: "moral entrepreneurs" define norms and designate deviants. Goffman (Stigma, 1963) analyses how a discrediting attribute reduces an individual to a single negative identity. Social control operates formally (police, courts) and informally (family, peer disapproval).

Chapter 8: Public Opinion

Public opinion is shaped by multiple forces. Bourdieu (1973) provocatively argues that "public opinion does not exist" as surveys present it. Opinion polls use representative samples but face biases: question framing, social desirability, non-response, and performative effects (bandwagon, spiral of silence).

Media shape opinion through agenda-setting (McCombs & Shaw, 1972) — they determine what people think about. Digital platforms create filter bubbles (Pariser, 2011): algorithms show users content aligned with their existing views, reinforcing polarisation and facilitating the spread of misinformation.

Part 3 — Cross-Cutting Perspectives

Chapter 9: Insurance and Social Protection

Social risks (illness, unemployment, old age) are managed through insurance (risk pooling via the law of large numbers) and social protection. Two models coexist: the Bismarckian logic (contribution-based, linked to employment — Germany 1883) and the Beveridgian logic (universal, tax-funded — UK 1942). France's Sécurité sociale (1945) blends both. Challenges: ageing population, mass unemployment, and budget deficits.

Chapter 10: How Are Firms Organised and Governed?

Firms adopt different legal forms (sole proprietorship, SARL, SA). Corporate governance addresses the relationship between stakeholders. The separation of ownership and management creates an agency problem (Jensen & Meckling, 1976): managers may pursue personal interests over shareholder value. Alignment mechanisms include stock options, boards of directors, audits, and stakeholder governance (employee representation, CSR).

Key Authors Summary