Greece in the 21st Century

Greece in the 21st Century

Author: Vassilis Fouskas

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-03-14

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 1351047507

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For most of the first part of the 21st century Greece has been seen as a critical battlefield for the survival of the powerful and the adjustment or extinction of the weak, as if all the historical contradictions of the global financial crisis and the eurozone crisis were concentrated in that tiny part of the world, with a population of just 11 million people and a GDP of less than 2% of that of the European Union as a whole. While the country has been overpowered by the disciplinarian and deeply authoritarian policy mix of ordoliberal/neoliberal rules, as this book attempts to show, there is hope. Defeat does not end the crisis, and crisis means constant opportunity. In this state of affairs, all types of agencies try to take advantage of the conditions and opportunities in order to advance towards positions of power and provide the best of solutions for the class interests they represent. Thus, harsh conflict is inevitable and if history provides a yardstick, it is that in periods of conflict and crisis, the winner, usually, is the one who manages to strike the right political and social alliances at the right time. The editors have assembled in this volume a number of interdisciplinary chapters and arguments which, despite their differences, share the strategic aim of a critique of both neoliberalism/ordoliberalism and new authoritarianism. Chapters examine the eurozone crisis from a variety of angles with reference to Greece, and Greek politics and society. With this collection of heterodox and scholarly essays, the authors and editors aim to offer a progressive understanding of current historical circumstances. Constantine Dimoulas is an Assistant Professor in social administration and evaluation of social programmes at Panteion University, Greece. Vassilis K. Fouskas is Professor of international politics and economics at the University of East London, UK, and the founding editor of the Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies (Taylor & Francis).


The Political Economy of Reform Failure

The Political Economy of Reform Failure

Author: Mats Lundahl

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2007-04-11

Total Pages: 361

ISBN-13: 1134231253

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Economists have moved in recent years beyond analyzing the manner in which the macroeconomies of different countries function and prescribing appropriate policies for dealing with domestic and external imbalances. Increasingly, they have sought to understand the complex interaction between political and economic phenomena. This book considers issues of economic reform in a broad range of settings: * developed countries * transition countries * developing countries Using country specific cases such as Uzbekistan, Burma and Haiti, it focuses on those territories which have encountered problems reforming, allowing the reader to gain an accurate understanding of the factors that inhibit the success of economic reform, the different context in which economic reform is attempted, and the different challenges that individual countries face. An international team of contributors including Bo Södersten, Deepak Lal and Ron Findlay have been brought together to analyze these topical issues, making this an informative and thought-provoking book, of interest to those involved in the field of development studies.


Financial Crisis Management and Democracy

Financial Crisis Management and Democracy

Author: Bettina De Souza Guilherme

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-12-09

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 3030548953

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This open access book discusses financial crisis management and policy in Europe and Latin America, with a special focus on equity and democracy. Based on a three-year research project by the Jean Monnet Network, this volume takes an interdisciplinary, comparative approach, analyzing both the role and impact of the EU and regional organizations in Latin America on crisis management as well as the consequences of crisis on the process of European integration and on Latin America’s regionalism. The book begins with a theoretical introduction, exploring the effects of the paradigm change on economic policies in Europe and in Latin America and analyzing key systemic aspects of the unsustainability of the present economic system explaining the global crises and their interconnections. The following chapters are divided into sections. The second section explores aspects of regional governance and how the economic and financial crises were managed on a macro level in Europe and Latin America. The third and fourth sections use case studies to drill down to the impact of the crises at the national and regional levels, including the emergence of political polarization and rise in populism in both areas. The last section presents proposals for reform, including the transition from finance capitalism to a sustainable real capitalism in both regions and at the inter-regional level of EU-LAC relations.The volume concludes with an epilogue on financial crises, regionalism, and domestic adjustment by Loukas Tsoukalis, President of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). Written by an international network of academics, practitioners and policy advisors, this volume will be of interest to researchers and students interested in macroeconomics, comparative regionalism, democracy, and financial crisis management as well as politicians, policy advisors, and members of national and regional organizations in the EU and Latin America.


The New Political Economy of Greece up to 2030

The New Political Economy of Greece up to 2030

Author: Panagiotis E. Petrakis

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-10-31

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 303047075X

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This book not only analyzes and evaluates the current state of economic growth and development in Greece, but also investigates the potential for growth and development in the mid- to long-term horizon. This book presents a unique theoretical framework drawing on structural elements of political economy such as institutions, cultural background, and the complex nature of politics and political power, as well as neoclassical economics and behavioral economics. The first part of the book introduces readers to some key concepts of normative analysis from a theoretical and methodological perspective, presents the relation between theory and policy, placing the Greek economy within the framework of the Eurozone, and provides the political economy of integrated growth and development in Greek economy. The second part of the book describes the current condition of Greece in the global economy and attempts to detect the major social, economic and political trends that will prevail in the Greek society, while pointing the challenges that the Greek economy will face across the coming decade by taking into account the Covid-19 crisis. The third part of the book provides an overview of growth and development theory as specifically applied to Greece, focusing on the endogenous forces driving the economy, and portrays how the 2008 financial crisis and the crisis of Covid-19 transformed the framework of Greek growth and development policy, to the ground of a new consolidated situation of low growth, low inflation and low employment in the case of Greek economy.


The Political Economy of Adjustment Throughout and Beyond the Eurozone Crisis

The Political Economy of Adjustment Throughout and Beyond the Eurozone Crisis

Author: Michele Chang

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-08-08

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0429762496

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This volume focuses on the aftermath of the euro crisis and whether the reforms have brought about lasting changes to the economic and political structures of the crisis countries or if the changes were short-term and easily abandoned post-bailout and post-recovery. Starting with an analysis of the state of euro area governance at the onset of the crisis and the ensuing reforms, the book considers structural conditions as well as those specific to the domestic political economy of most of the countries affected by the crisis, including Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and Italy. It presents up-to-date and incisive analysis of the aftermath of the crisis and suggests how we can situate it within our understanding of different national growth models in Europe. This book will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners interested in the Euro Crisis, Economic and Monetary Union, European Union and European politics and more broadly to Comparative Politics, Political Economy, International Relations, Economics, Finance, Business and Industry.


The Greek Economy and the Crisis

The Greek Economy and the Crisis

Author: Panagiotis Petrakis

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2011-10-27

Total Pages: 455

ISBN-13: 3642211755

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The book “The Greek Economy and the Crisis. Challenges and Responses” targets all those who think about the present and future of this (culturally) long-lived small geographic region (Greece), to form a personal view of its social and economic problems. A society that repeats the same types of behaviour over the centuries does not do so due to random mistakes. It contains intrinsic forces that affect it. These should be understood, to allow us to delineate future developments. However, the manner in which the social and economic process is perceived must be comprehensive and multidisciplinary: Economics, politics, social psychology and organizational psychology are essential to this analysis. Thus, the book is useful to those seeking information for their professional, scientific and personal development, allowing them to shape their social attitude. It is also useful to those responsible for taking decisions at national, European or enterprise level, in relation to the social and economic problems of Greece.


The Oxford Handbook of Social and Political Trust

The Oxford Handbook of Social and Political Trust

Author: Eric M. Uslaner

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-01-02

Total Pages: 753

ISBN-13: 0190274816

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This volume explores the foundations of trust, and whether social and political trust have common roots. Contributions by noted scholars examine how we measure trust, the cultural and social psychological roots of trust, the foundations of political trust, and how trust concerns the law, the economy, elections, international relations, corruption, and cooperation, among myriad societal factors. The rich assortment of essays on these themes addresses questions such as: How does national identity shape trust, and how does trust form in developing countries and in new democracies? Are minority groups less trusting than the dominant group in a society? Do immigrants adapt to the trust levels of their host countries? Does group interaction build trust? Does the welfare state promote trust and, in turn, does trust lead to greater well-being and to better health outcomes? The Oxford Handbook of Social and Political Trust considers these and other questions of critical importance for current scholarly investigations of trust.


The IMF and the Crises in Greece, Ireland, and Portugal

The IMF and the Crises in Greece, Ireland, and Portugal

Author: International Monetary Fund. Independent Evaluation Office

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2016-09-23

Total Pages: 72

ISBN-13: 1475525141

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This volume book brings together nine background papers prepared for an evaluation by the IMF Independent Evaluation Office of “the IMF and the crises in Greece, Ireland, and Portugal.” It presents an authoritative work on the evolving relationship between the IMF and the euro area, a common currency area founded in 1999 consisting of advanced, highly integrated economies in Europe. The euro area, or any common currency area for that matter, has posed challenges to the IMF’s operational activities as its Articles of Agreement contain no provision for joint membership. The challenges became intense when a series of crises erupted in Greece, Ireland, and Portugal from 2009 to 2011, and the Fund was called upon to help intervene by offering its financing and crisis management expertise. The IMF found itself in uncharted territory where there was no precedent or established procedure. The chapters, many of which are prepared by prominent academics and former senior IMF officials who are thoroughly familiar with internal procedures, discuss various aspects of the IMF’s engagement with the euro area, including precrisis surveillance, how key decisions were made, how the IMF collaborated with European institutions, and how it designed and implemented its lending programs with the three crisis countries. The book gives prominence to governance-related issues, given the large voting share (of more than 20 percent) within the IMF of euro area members and the subsequent public perception that the IMF treated the euro area more favorably than it does developing and emerging market members. The approaches are both cross-cutting and country-based. Some chapters deal with issues related to the euro area as a whole, while others focus on how the Fund engaged with individual euro area countries. The book contains a statement on the IEO evaluation by the IMF Managing Director and a Summing Up of the Executive Board discussion held in July 2016.