A Brief Analysis of the Ordoliberal Impact on the Debt Crisis in Greece

The last decade Greece has experienced a multidimensional crisis and its consequences are still evident. Several scholars have already analyzed the effects of the crisis and have provided useful outcomes, assessing its causes, policies and consequences. This study emphasizes on some factors that have not been thoroughly analyzed. Therefore, aspects of the impact of ordoliberal directions on the formulation of the debt crisis management policies in Greece as well as the social and economic implications are studied. The main objective is to examine the role of ordoliberalism at policy making and the economic and social implications through the brief analysis of quantitative (secondary) and qualitative (primary) data in order to produce empirically grounded policy proposals in order to effectively advance the goals set for Social Europe through the convergence of the European periphery

The challenge of social capital investment in difficult times: the case of Greece

The main aim of the implemented governmental policies during the last three years was to fulfill the financial obligations through a harsh tax increase. This led to the implementation of a policy that shrank the middle socio-economic groups and had, in a way, a "reversed redistribution" character. This term actually refers to the "downward redistribution" which undermines the social capital and instead of protecting the vulnerable and marginalized citizens, it adds on the contrary more to those categories. But the investment in social capital is the only way to achieve social cohesion and is not connected with a "downward redistribution" as long as it includes measures in order to "lift" the lowest socio-economic groups in the social pyramid, to levels where they are not any more in danger of social vulnerability and in this way socially equitable welfare can be ensured. The main aim of this paper is to analyze some of the recent implemented policies in Greece which have created conditions of a new poverty and at the same time to draw the priorities for a socially just redistribution by analyzing some theoretical considerations connected with the concepts of solidarity and redistribution, which are basic factors of a social investment strategy

Challenges and Adjustments of Healthcare and Labor Policies in Greece during the COVID-19 era: A Critical Assessment of the Key Social Policy Responses

The welfare state in Greece even before the outbreak of the global pandemic experienced multiple challenges and problems mainly as a result of its chronic structural, administrative, and financial problems which were further deteriorated by austerity measures. The pandemic that followed the ten-year economic crisis led to a new multifaceted crisis, adding further pressure on the National Health System as well as on the labor market, and precipitating the uptake of targeted measures and policies to support both the NHS with equipment, staff, and employment due to the imposition of national and local lockdowns. Confronted with such weaknesses, the establishment of a new welfare state would need to bear a higher degree of flexibility, inclusivity, and efficiency in order to live up to the increasing societal, health, and economic demands.  In this sense, the aim of this paper is to explore the variations in health and labor policies (two key pillars of the welfare state) during the COVID-19 pandemic and assess whether there is a need for further interventions with regard to the social security and prosperity of citizens

The impact of "anti-political" parties after the restoration of democracy in Greece and the challenge of confronting the crisis

There have been almost 40 years after the restoration of democracy in Greece and a peculiar prosperity, which was consciously cultivated by the leaders of political and economic elites, was promoted before the onset of the financial crisis. However, from the beginning of the financial recession, the temporal illusions have been revealed and the need of a complete transformation of the financial policies has been expressed, while a significant transformation of the entire political culture has started. Parties such as SYRIZA, Independent Greeks(ANEL) and Golden Dawn took advantage of the growing social discontent by propagating themselves as exponents of ordinary people and of their concerns or their fears, as the expression of resistance against an avoidable sellout of public values. However, crisis has exposed a number of successive truths which were elaborately hiding in the underbelly of the detaining political and socioeconomic system. These truths were exteriorized once it became clear that the foundations on which the Greek society was based after the restoration of democracy, were weak and insufficient to lead country towards a modern future

Learning for Democracy: Experiential learning of EU as a tool for European citizenship and democratic values awareness

Undoubtedly, the modern democratic framework of higher education has to cultivate students' relevant skills such as democratic participation, cooperation, taking responsibility, strengthen trust in public institutions and constitutions, freedom of expression and decision-making, as prerequisites for future's active citizens. Exactly these goals are advancing in the student communities, the function of which has continuously served the principle of democratic representation. Therefore, through the understanding of learning as a social activity and a vehicle of innovation and productivity in society, we may conclude that higher education can be - and should be a multilevel way for social cohesion and promotion of democratic values by preparing students to be active citizens. The main aim of this paper is to assess the role of higher education in the current challenging circumstances, in the context of addressing new and old problems while fostering fairness, diversity and social inclusion, broadly, democracy and social cohesion. The paper will analyze the importance of higher education institutions in order to achieve that goals, by focusing on the usage of a combination of diverse and innovative methods and new technologies but without undermining academic and institutional integrity. A case study of an EU institution simulation will also be analyzed in order to show the importance of such actions and alternative ways of learning for achieving the enforcement of active citizens. The analysis will lead to policy proposals for integrating new methods to fundamental academic values in the current context in order to foster democracy and social cohesion

A Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 Effects on air Pollution in Ten EU Cities in 2020

The global pandemic has arguably induced many dramatic changes at all levels worldwide. The occurrence of some silver linings on the environment brought about a glimmer of hope and optimism. However, these are seen as rather short-lived and temporary mainly linked to lower economic output and the imposition of restrictive measures by the national governments to contain the spreading of the coronavirus. In such a context, the restart of the economy plausibly raises many concerns about the durability of those in the long run. An environmental sector that has attracted particular attention is air pollution which has seen significant improvements in urban centers and most polluted cities during the pandemic. Evidence shows that air pollution in the EU has decreased in 2020 as a result of reduced consumption of fossil fuels, road transport, lower economic output, and industrial activity, however, strong signs of retreat to pre-coronavirus levels are observed. The aim of this policy brief is to examine the effects of COVID-19 on air pollution by breaking down and comparing the average concentrations of three pollutants, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and particulate matter (PM2.5), and (PM10), per month in ten major European cities in 2020 with the use of data from the European Environment Agency

Challenges and Adjustments of Healthcare and Labor Policies in Greece during the COVID-19 era: A Critical Assessment of the Key Social Policy Responses

The welfare state in Greece even before the outbreak of the global pandemic experienced multiple challenges and problems mainly as a result of its chronic structural, administrative, and financial problems which were further deteriorated by austerity measures. The pandemic that followed the ten-year economic crisis led to a new multifaceted crisis, adding further pressure on the National Health System as well as on the labor market, and precipitating the uptake of targeted measures and policies to support both the NHS with equipment, staff, and employment due to the imposition of national and local lockdowns. Confronted with such weaknesses, the establishment of a new welfare state would need to bear a higher degree of flexibility, inclusivity, and efficiency in order to live up to the increasing societal, health, and economic demands.  In this sense, the aim of this paper is to explore the variations in health and labor policies (two key pillars of the welfare state) during the COVID-19 pandemic and assess whether there is a need for further interventions with regard to the social security and prosperity of citizens

About political change in Greece

There have been almost 40 years after the restoration of democracy in Greece and a peculiar prosperity, which was consciously cultivated by the leaders of political and economic elites, was promoted before the onset of the financial crisis. However, from the beginning of the financial recession, the temporal illusions have been revealed and the need of a complete transformation of the financial policies has been expressed, while a significant transformation of the entire political culture has started. Parties such as SYRIZA, Independent Greeks(ANEL) and Golden Dawn took advantage of the growing social discontent by propagating their selves as exponents of ordinary people and of their concerns or their fears, as the expression of resistance against an avoidable sellout of public values. However, crisis has exposed a number of successive truths which were elaborately hiding in the underbelly of the detaining political and socioeconomic system. These truths were exteriorized once it became clear that the foundations on which the Greek society was based after the restoration of democracy, were weak and insufficient to guide the country’s way towards a modern future

Machiavelli against Machiavellianism: The New “arte dello stato”

A common interpreting perception of Machiavelli’s thought is based on the paradox that state feasibility uses not only knowledge but also any form of immoral act in order to preserve power. Against this position that draws its origin in Meinecke, this paper aims to study the ways that the notion of liberty is interpreted by Machiavelli as well as the impact of this contribution to contemporary policy making. Furthermore, through this study, the diversification between the real Machiavellian contribution to modern thinking and Machiavellianism, will be thoroughly analyzed. The main research question of the paper is to test if the new arte dello stato (art of the state), in contrast with the notion of Machiavellianism, is based on the new form of rationality which has its roots in naturalism and history, as a precondition for the ruler’s unobstructed action. The methods used include main literature review on Machiavelli as well as content analysis of Machiavelli's treatise The Prince in order to address the research hypothesis that Machiavelli is based on rationality, naturalism and history in order to create a framework of stability, continuity, liberty and prosperity of the people. The main conclusion of the paper is that Machiavelli’s The Prince seems to posit a notion of the state operating around the ruler against fortune within a political regime of homogenization, in which the ruler represents the pole of stability and capable rationality by rolling out a long-term conservation strategy in accordance with the social reality that surrounds him. Thus, his thinking inaugurates the democratic pragmatism of modernity which was later deepened by the philosophy of the Enlightenment