https://toarcheio.org To Archeio project site Thu, 30 Apr 2020 15:12:54 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.4.1 https://toarcheio.org/items/realignment-under-stress-the-july-2015-referendum-and-the-september-parliamentary-election-in-greece/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:44 +0000 http://arc.local/items/realignment-under-stress-the-july-2015-referendum-and-the-september-parliamentary-election-in-greece/ Continued]]> The victory of the radical-left SYRIZA in the September 2015 election confounded expectations given the failure of the SYRIZA–ANEL government formed in January either to deliver on its central promise of reversing austerity policies or to capitalise on its major victory in the July referendum. The article examines both the election and the referendum that preceded it, offering an explanation for SYRIZA’s victory. It also attempts to trace the trajectory of the current party system in Greece and its ongoing realignment process in light of the 2015 electoral contests and the busy political timeline since the formation of the first SYRIZA–ANEL government.

]]> https://toarcheio.org/items/neo-nazism-in-an-established-democracy-the-persistence-of-golden-dawn-in-greece/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:33 +0000 http://arc.local/items/neo-nazism-in-an-established-democracy-the-persistence-of-golden-dawn-in-greece/ Continued]]> The literature predicts that extremist right-wing parties like the Greek Golden Dawn (GD) are doomed to stay in the margins of electoral competition, scaring away voters with their authoritarian views and violent tactics. Defying scholarly expectations and despite the criminal prosecution of its leadership, GD increased its electoral strength in the May 2014 European elections. The article contrasts the neo-Nazi GD with Western European radical right parties and examines the factors that facilitated the persistence of such an extreme political party in an established European democracy. It shows how GD managed to capitalise on the de-legitimation of Greek political institutions and, through its organisational activity, present itself as a socially legitimate anti-system alternative.

]]> https://toarcheio.org/items/the-impact-of-the-economic-crisis-on-the-ideological-space-in-portugal-and-greece-a-comparison-of-elites-and-voters/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:30 +0000 http://arc.local/items/the-impact-of-the-economic-crisis-on-the-ideological-space-in-portugal-and-greece-a-comparison-of-elites-and-voters/ Continued]]> This work addresses the dimensions and content of ideological space in Portugal and Greece after the onset of the sovereign debt crisis and the imposition of austerity policies in the two countries. By examining both elite interviews and public opinion data, the article principally attempts to determine whether the economic crisis has created a new division in ideological space by cross-cutting or completely replacing older ones. In addition, we attempt to gauge the position of crisis-related issues relative to issue divides on European integration and globalisation which, up to now, have been dormant in Southern European countries.

]]> https://toarcheio.org/items/south-european-healthcare-systems-under-harsh-austerity-a-progress-regression-mix/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:29 +0000 http://arc.local/items/south-european-healthcare-systems-under-harsh-austerity-a-progress-regression-mix/ Continued]]> This article addresses the question of whether the economic crisis provides a politically opportune time to drastically curtail public healthcare in South Europe or whether, instead, there are signs of longer-term reform strategies for potentially balancing fiscal targets with the quest for enhanced value and health outcomes, when eventually growth resumes. After a brief examination of the profile of healthcare systems in Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain prior to the crisis, we comparatively assess the mix of retrenchment, restructuring and recalibration strategies. The effects of the austerity-driven reforms on current (and expected) health outcomes are also briefly analysed. We conclude with reflections on the future of public healthcare in South Europe.

]]> https://toarcheio.org/items/the-distributional-impact-of-austerity-and-the-recession-in-southern-europe/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:28 +0000 http://arc.local/items/the-distributional-impact-of-austerity-and-the-recession-in-southern-europe/ Continued]]> Southern European welfare states are under stress. On the one hand, the recession has been causing unemployment to rise and incomes to fall. On the other hand, austerity has affected the capacity of welfare states to protect those affected. This paper assesses the distributional implications of the crisis in Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal from 2009 to 2013. Using a microsimulation model, we disentangle the first-order effects of tax–benefit policies from the broader effects of the crisis, and estimate how its burden has been shared across income groups. We conclude by discussing the methodological pitfalls and policy implications of our research.

]]> https://toarcheio.org/items/representation-and-austerity-politics-attitudes-of-greek-voters-and-elites-compared/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:26 +0000 http://arc.local/items/representation-and-austerity-politics-attitudes-of-greek-voters-and-elites-compared/ Continued]]> Drawing on surveys of voters and MPs in Greece, this article analyses elite–mass interaction on key policy (austerity, European integration, immigration) and ideological issues after the 2012 elections. We find that while for the government parties, New Democracy and PASOK, the level of congruence is quite high, MPs from opposition parties (SYRIZA, Golden Dawn) place themselves in more exposed positions in comparison with their voters. The observed substantial variation in the intensity and direction of congruence, across parties and issue preferences in Greece, reinforces the view that the dimensionality of political contestation is not reducible to a single ideological dimension.

]]> https://toarcheio.org/items/political-representation-in-bailed-out-southern-europe-greece-and-portugal-compared/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:25 +0000 http://arc.local/items/political-representation-in-bailed-out-southern-europe-greece-and-portugal-compared/ Continued]]> The emergence of the economic and financial crisis has already shown important electoral and political consequences in southern Europe. Drawing on the experience of two bailed-out countries, Greece and Portugal, we use original data collected before and after 2008 to examine how patterns of political representation have changed during this period. We argue that austerity measures have significantly affected the way MPs represent their electorates, namely in terms of policy congruence. In addition, the economic crisis has also deepened the legitimacy crisis in both countries. Finally, we find that the short-term impact of the crisis has had a greater impact on voters’ attitudes than on those of their representatives.

]]> https://toarcheio.org/items/awakening-the-sleeping-giant-in-greece-and-portugal-elites-and-voters-attitudes-towards-eu-integration-in-difficult-economic-times/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:25 +0000 http://arc.local/items/awakening-the-sleeping-giant-in-greece-and-portugal-elites-and-voters-attitudes-towards-eu-integration-in-difficult-economic-times/ Continued]]> This article explores the extent to which the economic crisis and political responses of the European Union (EU) to austerity policies have contributed to Euroscepticism in Greece and Portugal. We analyse attitudes towards the EU at both voter and elite levels using fresh and innovative data, and by comparing them with data from surveys conducted before the crisis we show assessments of austerity and the bailouts are feeding elite and voter Euroscepticism. In both countries there are signs of a crisis of representation with greater voter–elite incongruence in the representation of EU issues than before the bailout.

]]> https://toarcheio.org/items/in-the-shadow-of-grexit-the-greek-election-of-17-june-2012/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:22 +0000 http://arc.local/items/in-the-shadow-of-grexit-the-greek-election-of-17-june-2012/ Continued]]> This article provides an overview and analysis of the Greek elections of June 2012. Placing the elections within the broader framework of the Greek socio-political and economic context, it discusses the electoral campaign and results, juxtaposing them to the 6 May electoral round. The election results confirmed many of the trends of the previous round, including electoral volatility, the fragmentation of the party system and the rise of anti-establishment forces. The main difference was the entrenchment of the pro- versus anti- bailout division and the prominence of the question of Greece’s continued eurozone membership.

]]> https://toarcheio.org/items/living-parallel-lives-italy-and-greece-in-an-age-of-austerity/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:22 +0000 http://arc.local/items/living-parallel-lives-italy-and-greece-in-an-age-of-austerity/ Continued]]> The economic crisis has triggered a process of political convergence between Italy and Greece. The simultaneous downfall of the Italian and Greek governments, following the public withdrawal of European confidence in their ability to handle the crisis, was followed by the establishment of technocrat-led governments based on parliamentary ‘super-majorities’ and then by ‘protest elections’, marked by unprecedented levels of electoral volatility. By apparently ending bipolarism, the crisis has completely changed patterns of national government formation and resulted in experiments with unusual government types. Both political systems have entered a transitional phase whose outcome is anything but certain, especially in the continuing context of economic crisis.

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