FACTBOX: Policies of French presidential candidate Royal

(Reuters) - Socialist Segolene Royal is hoping to become France's first woman president and opinion polls show her lying in second place before the April 22 first round vote.

Here are some of her main policy proposals:

ECONOMIC POLICY:

- Raise monthly minimum wage to 1,500 euros over five years; 5 pct increase in small pensions at or below minimum wage

- Create 500,000 jobs for young workers. Ensure no young person is left unemployed for more than six months without right to training or job. Encourage small firms to hire non-qualified school leavers, with state paying wages and charges for a year

- Abolish government's CNE labor law, which makes it easier for small firms to hire and fire workers

- Review 35-hour work week with aim of "reducing negative consequences for workers and employees"

- Aim for annual economic growth of 2.5 percent from 2008; Cut public debt to 60 percent of gross domestic product by 2012 from some 64 percent in 2006

TAX, STATE AID, RESEARCH, BUSINESS LAWS

- Keep overall taxes and charges at current level

- Make state aid to companies conditional on promise not to shed staff when company is making substantial profits. Aid would have to be repaid if company relocated abroad

- Tax firms more on dividends, less on reinvested profits; change tax treatment of stock options; abolish "golden parachutes"

- Increase spending on research by 10 percent a year

- Build 120,000 public housing units a year

- Limit fees banks charge customers; allow customers to launch class action suits against them

LAW AND ORDER