Scenarios about 'grandes écoles'

Prestigious, highly selective French higher education institutions that exist outside the main public university framework, established primarily during the 18th and 19th centuries. These elite schools traditionally train France's top engineers, scientists, business leaders, and civil servants, creating a distinct educational pathway that significantly influences the nation's political and economic leadership structures. In alternate history scenarios, the grandes écoles system often represents a point of divergence in how meritocracy, social mobility, and technocratic governance might develop differently across various societies.