Paul Bernard, an influential writer and policymaker, strongly believed that the economy of the colonies needed to be developed. (i) He argued that the purpose of acquiring colonies was to make profits. The markets would expand and the French business would make better profits. (ii) There was a high, rising population, low agricultural productivity and extensive indebtedness amongst the peasants in Vietnam. To improve agricultural productivity and reduce rural poverty, it was necessary to carry out land reforms as the Japanese had done in the 1890s. (iii) Bernard wanted the French to follow the Japanese example by industrialising Vietnam and thus create more jobs. But the French, contrary to what Bernard suggested, did little to industrialise the economy and the standard of living declined in Vietnam.