France is the developed world’s biggest public spender.

But Macron is starting to realize that money is no protection from the coronavirus pandemic https://trib.al/Y5OznuT 

The French welfare state rarely lacks for anything, yet it's suffered the same supply shortages seen around the world.

Medical masks are being rationed after a national stockpile ran dry, and a reluctance to test widely looks more like a resource problem http://trib.al/Y5OznuT 

Germany spends the same proportion of its GDP on health care as France — 11.2% — yet the country has more intensive-care beds, more doctors and more nurses per capita than its neighbor.

That makes a big difference if infections strike small cities http://trib.al/Y5OznuT 

It comes down to decision making, not money:

Germany’s decentralized structure gives more say to federal states, so it's harder to deprive regions of resources
France’s top-down system has favored mega-hospitals in urban areas, closing beds elsewhere http://trib.al/Y5OznuT 

France’s strict lockdown measures were initially supported by the public, but are now seen as a symptom of a slow crisis response.

Confidence in Macron has taken a hit, picking up slightly only after a recent speech admitting to “weaknesses” http://trib.al/Y5OznuT 

Aside from factors like luck or the unpredictability of infections, the French public believe the problem was not enough state intervention and spending.

But the idea the state lacked power or financial resources going into this crisis is unconvincing http://trib.al/Y5OznuT 

France has made some poor choices:

In 2013, decided against a national mask stockpile
Refused to give regulatory permission to 75 regional labs to perform up to 300,000 tests a week in March, according to French magazine Le Point http://trib.al/Y5OznuT 

Too much decentralization can also bring problems, as the disunited U.S. responses demonstrate.

But France is at the other extreme http://trib.al/Y5OznuT