1,721,168 research outputs found
The return of street politics? Essays on the December riots in Greece
No full textIn December 2008, following the shooting of teenager Alexis Grigoropoulos, a wave of demonstrations and violent protest rocked Athens and quickly spread to other Greek cities. The initial demonstrations and outbreak of violence were directly linked to the death of the high school youth and were aimed against alleged police incompetence and brutality. The scope of the movement soon broadened to encompass protest against youth unemployment, social inequality, corruption, state inadequacy, higher education reforms and other perceived grievances. The decision to police the demonstration and violent protest in a 'hands off ' manner exacerbated the impact of the events and allowed free rein to vandals and looters. The 'December events', and especially the scale of the violence, took many by surprise. Initial reactions and analyses struggled to explain the scope and timing of the events. The causes and consequences of the December riots in Greece need to be properly understood in Greece's domestic and international context. As a way of initiating a broad and open discussion, the Hellenic Observatory of LSE has commissioned a series of short papers from a range of scholars, analysts and commentators. These papers published here offer a wide range of explanations and diverse interpretations of the cause of the riots and their impact. We hope that these papers will open a coherent, longer-term discussion on the events, which could have an impact on policy and allow us to tackle some key problems in contemporary Greek society
South Eastern Europe after the economic crisis: a new dawn or back to business as usual?
No full textSouth Eastern Europe after the crisis a new dawn or back to business as usual?
No full textThis LSEE publication combines region-wide analyses of the impacts of the global economic crisis with detailed studies of individual countries' experiences. The fact that South Eastern Europe has suffered, or is still suffering, from the impact of crisis more than most other regions in the world makes this synoptic account of the economic and social effects of the crisis all the more timely. We hope that it also makes a useful contribution to the study of the region's economic prospects and potential
Social exclusion and labor market challenges in the Western Balkans
No full textThis edited volume focuses on the challenges facing the Western Balkan countries in their efforts to deal with social exclusion and social inequality while making progress in their reform efforts to join the European Union. It examines how states have failed to offer adequate social protection to those excluded from labour markets, including women, young people, and Roma ethnic minorities, a process that has driven high rates of outward migration. It also provides a detailed introduction to the main conclusions of the various contributions gathered here, and an overview of the lessons learned, which will be of direct interest to policy makers and practitioners in the field of social cohesion in the Western Balkans. The chapters of this book are revised and updated versions of papers that were first presented at a conference of the LSEE Research Network on Social Cohesion held in Skopje in 2017, comprising the latest research by leading scholars from the region
Decentralisation and local development in South East Europe
No full textThe post-communist states of South East Europe (SEE) have a strong commitment to decentralisation as a means to contribute to the consolidation of democracy, and to improve institutions for local economic and social development. However, the experience of transition in post-communist SEE has been to widen regional and local inequalities, creating a vulnerability of the affected regions to external shocks such as the recent economic crisis and consequent threats to political stability. This book explores the nature and effectiveness of policies of decentralisation and regional development in this less well studied part of Europe. It identifies the impact of decentralisation and regional development on spatial inequalities, and evaluates the policy responses in different political and institutional environments
Greece in focus: a GreeSE Papers special issue
Full text linkFourteen months since the agreement for the first national bailout in EMU history, the Greek crisis keeps unfolding at a mesmerising pace. In June 2011 things took a dramatic turn, as the poor evaluation of the government’s efforts to deliver on the obligations it had undertook under the Memorandum for the €110bn loan, especially with regard to the programme of privatisations, the tackling of tax evasion, the liberalisation of closed professions and the consolidation of public bodies, triggered a new mini-crisis. The open questioning by the Eurozone and IMF officials of the continuation of funding under the €110bn loan led to an almost-farcical political crisis, with the PM announcing his willingness to step down in exchange for the formation of a coalition government and a few hours later backtracking to form a new partisan cabinet aiming to calm within-party and wider public opposition to the policies pursued by the government
Can Hollande save Greece?
Full text linkFollowing the result of the first round of the French Presidential elections, it seems that – at last – a new wind is blowing in the European sky. The much sidestepped “growth agenda” is slowly gaining currency in the European political discourse and calls for pro-growth measures, for a European growth strategy and for a reconsideration of the strict adherence to fiscal rules are no longer received as heterodox, as dangerous or marginal. Talking about ‘the growth question’ is becoming legitimate again, it is becoming mainstream! The orthodoxy of fiscal discipline of course remains. But talking about growth is no longer a taboo (before becoming too jubilant, however, see also this piece of deja vu). From all corners of Europe, from the Dutch labour party to the Governing Council of the ECB, and from the offices of the Commission to the streets of Spain, more and more voices – not only by the disillusioned public but increasingly from key political figures and policy officials – are heard calling for the need to establish pro-growth instruments to counter-balance fiscally-induced austerity. All this is nice of course – and much needed. And the Greeks may be excused to feel that they are vindicated, as they were among the first to question (and to suffer from) the austerity recipe. They may be excused to feel that something is changing also for Greece, that new allies are coming out to support Greece’s case for growth, that the spirit of Keynesianism is coming back – and, with it, salvation for the ailing Greek economy is on its way. But there is a problem – or two
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