Previous Activities
October 2009
GPSG Travel Grants for Young Scholars
The 4th LSE Hellenic Observatory PhD Symposium
on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus
London, 25 & 26 June 2009
October 2009: GPSG Announces Prize Winners
As part of its core mission of promoting systematic research, supporting young scholars and strengthening the ties between the UK and Greek academic communities, the Greek Politics Specialist Group has awarded two £200 prizes to young researchers who presented their work at the 4th Hellenic Observatory PhD Symposium at the London School of Economics.
Following June’s Call for Applications, we received a large number of applications, which were carefully reviewed by the GPSG panel. The standard was quite high and reaching a decision was not easy.
We are delighted to announce that the two winning papers are:
Manto Lampropoulou (School of Law, Economics & Political Sciences, Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Athens), “Public utilities reform in Greece: Privatization, market liberalization and implications for citizens as consumers”.
The panel was very impressed by the outstanding quality of Ms Lampropoulou’s work. The paper is well-researched and well-written and it puts forward a strong, persuasive and ultimately important argument.
Eleni Ganiti (School of History & Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), “The military dictatorship of April 1967 in Greece and its repercussion on the Greek visual arts scene”.
The panel particularly commended Ms Ganiti’s work for its originality and thorough documentation. Her paper constitutes a refreshing and informative perspective on an under-researched area and puts forward a clear and interesting argument.
The winning papers will be published on the Working Papers section of the GPSG website. The GPSG wishes to warmly congratulate both winners on their success.
Abstracts of winning papers
MANTO LAMPROPOULOU
Public utilities reform in Greece:
Privatization, market liberalization and implications for citizens as consumers
Privatization and liberalization are the two complementary aspects of several reform projects in the field of public utilities. In Greece, since the mid-90’s, the telecommunications sector has undergone radical changes, responding to the new requirements of a market-oriented model, gradually introducing the privatization of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) and the opening of the state monopoly. An often neglected aspect of the reform is the implications for citizens as consumers. More “choice”, better quality and lower prices have been usually invoked as illustrations of the beneficial effects, under the general hypothesis of better performance. However, the “shift” is more intricate than the assumptions that a micro-economic perspective suggests.
This paper argues that the “citizen/consumer empowerment” is not a self-evident proposition of privatization or liberalization policies. It also proposes that the concept of citizens as consumers implies a selective –thus restricted- approach of the eventual benefit. The aim of the paper is to highlight the constraints and the pre-conditions of the “empowerment” argument, as well as to reveal potential asymmetries in terms of cost/benefit allocation of the reform outcomes.
ELENI GANITI
The military dictatorship of April 1967 in Greece
and its repercussion on the Greek visual arts scene
The 21st of April, 1967 has been a portentous date in the history of modern Greece, as a group of right–wing army officers seized power, imposing a regime of military dictatorship, also known as the Regime of the Colonels or the Junta. The dictatorship came after a period of political instability in the country, intercepting the normal course of things at the political, social and economical sector. This kind of disorder could not leave the cultural life of the country unaffected. The imposing of the dictatorship had a strong impact on the evolution of the visual arts in Greece, mainly because it came at a time when Greek art, for the first time in the modern years, was finding its pace. The desire for synchronization with the international art was being finally fulfilled and for the first time Greek artists were part of the international avant guard. The visual arts scene was flourishing, the audience’s interest was growing and the future seemed promising and optimistic. Then the Junta came to interrupt this upswing. This paper explores:
i) the effects of the dictatorship on the Greek visual arts scene and the artistic production of the period
ii) the reaction of the art world
through exhibitions and works of Greek artists that were created and exhibited in the country during the seven years of the Military Regime.
May 2009
GPSG Papers at the International Conference
“The Challenge of Reform in Greece, 1974-2009:
Assessment and Prospects”
8-10 May 2009, Yale University, USA
Theme: "The Politics of Reform in Greece and the Role of Europeanization"
Dr. Stella Ladi (Greek Ministry of the Interior & Sheffield University, UK), "Soft Europeanization and Institutional Reform: The Transfer of the Ombudsman Institution to Greece"
Dr. Dimitris Tsarouhas (Bilkent University), "Intentions, Policies, Impasse: PASOK and Welfare Reform in Greece"
January 2009
Joint Conference of the
French Politics and Policy, German Politics, Greek Politics, and Italian Politics Specialist Groups
“The Changing Constellation of the Enlarging EU”
23 January 2009, Durham University
Supported by the PSA's Specialist Activities Fund
GPSG Papers at the Durham Conference:
Dr. Dimitris Tsarouhas (Assistant Professor, Bilkent University), "Turkey and the Future of EU Enlargement"
Dr. Stella Ladi (Public Policy Expert, Greek Ministry of the Interior), "Europeanization and Policy Transfer: A Comparative Study of Policy Change in Greece and Cyprus"
Dr. Diana Bozhilova (A.C. Laskaridis Research Fellow, Hellenic Observatory, LSE), "Bulgaria's Accession, Industrial Restructuring and Greek FDI"
Vasilis Leontitsis (PhD Candidate, University of Sheffield), "Decentralising Greece Against the Background of the EU"
Summary and Abstracts
July 2006
Greek Politics Specialist Group panel at the20th World Congress of the International Political Science Association (IPSA)
Fukuoka, Japan
with the support of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)
The 20th World Congress of the IPSA was held in Fukuoka, Japan, in July 2006. The theme of the conference was “Is Democracy Working?” and featured a number of important contributions from leading scholars.
The Greek Politics Specialist Group of the UK’s Political Studies Association convened a special panel on Greek politics, which featured three papers:
- “Civic Participation, Voting and Communication in Greek Democracy” by M. Zisouli, Dr. E. Apospori and Prof. G. Avlonitis (Athens University of Economics and Business)
- “Political Competition: The Case of Candidates” by Prof. Th. Chadjipadelis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)
- “Differences in Voting Behavior” by Dr. I. Andreadis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki).
We would like to thank the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their kind and generous support, which was vital for our presence at the IPSA Congress in Japan.
June 2005
Financial support for young scholars presenting atThe LSE Hellenic Observatory’s 2nd PhD Symposium on Modern Greece
The 2nd PhD Symposium of the Hellenic Observatory at the LSE’s European Institute took place on June 10th, 2005.
Following a thorough process of selection, the Greek Politics Specialist Group awarded three small grants to young scholars from regional Greece presenting papers at the Symposium. The three successful presenters were Maria Xenitidou (SEERC, Thessaloniki); Kyriakos S. Hatzaras (Ideologikon, Thessaloniki) and Vaso Papageorgiou (University of the Aegean).
The event itself was very successful with many interesting panels and papers, as well as three immensely enjoyable keynote speeches. In his opening plenary speech, Professor Stathis Kalyvas (Yale University) presented some interesting data regarding the make-up of political science faculties and departments in Greece. Prof. Nikolaos Zahariadis (University of Alabama at Birmingham) then demonstrated the contradictions and dilemmas of the ‘Macedonian Question’ and of Greek Foreign Policy. The Symposium concluded with a keynote speech by Prof. Nicos Mouzelis (LSE) who took the audience on a journey to modern and post-modern theorizing.
Many GPSG members attended and presented at the event, while the Group’s Convenor, Roman Gerodimos, also chaired a panel on domestic politics. The full text of the papers presented in the Symposium can be found on the Hellenic Observatory’s website.