The recent financial meltdown and the resulting global recession have rekindled debates regarding the nature of contemporary capitalism. This book analyses the ongoing financialization of the economy as a development within capitalism, and explores the ways in which it has changed the organization of capitalist power. The authors offer an interpretation of the role of the financial sphere which displays a striking contrast to the majority of contemporary heterodox approaches. Their interpretation stresses the crucial role of financial derivatives in the contemporary organization of capitalist power relations, arguing that the process of financialization is in fact entirely unthinkable in the absence of derivatives. The book also uses Marx’s concepts and some of the arguments developed in the framework of the historic Marxist controversies on economic crises in order to gain an insight into the modern neoliberal form of capitalism and the recent financial crisis. Employing a series of international case studies, this book will be essential reading for all those with an interest in the financial crisis, and all those seeking to comprehend the workings of capitalism.
Winner of the 2021 European Society of Modern Greek Studies Book Prize Shortlisted for the 2022 Runciman Award The recent economic crisis in Greece has triggered national self-reflection and prompted a re-examination of the political and cultural developments in the country since 1974. While many other books have investigated the politics and economics of this transition, this study turns its attention to the cultural aspects of post-dictatorship Greece. By problematizing the notion of modernization, it analyzes socio-cultural trends in the years between the fall of the junta and the economic crisis, highlighting the growing diversity and cultural ambivalence of Greek society. With its focus on issues such as identity, antiquity, religion, language, literature, media, cinema, youth, gender and sexuality, this study is one of the first to examine cultural trends in Greece over the last fifty years. Aiming for a more nuanced understanding of recent history, the study offers a fresh perspective on current problems.
This volume offers a critical discursive-argumentative framework that scrutinizes the discursive construction and, moreover, the argumentative justification of authoritarian attitudes on newspaper front pages in highly polarized times of multiple ‘crises’ in Greece. At the same time, it aspires to outline novel research avenues for scholars working in the fields of critical discourse and argumentation studies, multimodality and communication studies, that go beyond the study of the meaning potential of multimodal artifacts and focus on the study of the argumentative inferences that are triggered by multimodal discourses in polarized contexts. It frames the theoretical discussion based on concepts such as Nikos Poulantzas’ ‘authoritarian statism’ as well as Antonio Gramsci’s ‘hegemony’ and ‘intellectuals’. Methodologically, it draws on the agenda of multimodal critical discourse analysis, integrating principles and tools from social semiotics and (multimodal) argumentation studies with a particular focus on inference in argumentation.
The newest volume in the Comparative Charting of Social Change series highlights the main elements of demographic, social, political, and economic development in Greece during the period 1960-2000. Based on a systematic analysis of available information and data, this volume provides an overview of Greece's socio-economic profile, which changed significantly during the studied period. The collapse of the dictatorship in 1974 and Greece's entry into the European Union (EU) in 1980 have led to a consolidation of democratic institutions and the improvement of living standards. During the 1960s and 1970s the country experienced high rates of economic development and relatively low unemployment rates. However, this increase in economic development has slowed since the early 1980s and the unemployment rate has risen, particularly among young people. Consistent with recent social trends in other Western societies, Greek society has become more tolerant and permissive, with more diverse and flexible moral norms. However, the prevailing family model remains traditional and the Greek Orthodox Church continues to have a strong influence on many aspects of Greek society, including social, political, and cultural life. The organization of work also follows traditional patterns, despite the introduction of new and flexible forms of employment. Female participation in the labour market remains relatively low, despite legislation and regulations that promote equality of opportunities between the sexes. Consistent with recent social trends in other Western societies, Greece's population is aging and the birth rate has stabilized at a relatively low level. Contributors include Ioannis Antonopoulos, Dimitri Economou (University of Thessalia), Evi Fagadaki, Thomas Maloutas (University of Thessalia), Alberto Martinelli, Ioannis Myrizakis, Theodore Papadogonas, Apostolos g. Papadopoulos (University of Ioannina), Roy Panagiotopoulou, Apostolis Rafailidis (economist), Paris Tsartas (University of Aegean), Kostas Yannakopoulos. Elisabeth Allison, Dionisis Balourdos, Nikos Bouzas, Kaliroi Daskalaki, Amalia Frangiskou, Emmy Fronimou, Panayiotis Kafetzis, Roxanne Kaftantzoglou, John Kallas, Chrysa Kappi, Maria Ketsetzopoulou, Helene Kovani, Evdokia Manologlou, Joannis Micheloyiannakis, Aliki Mouriki, Panagiota Papadopoulou, Ioanna Papathanassiou, Christos Papatheodorou, Marina Petronoti, Nikos Sarris, Theoni Stathopoulou, Hara Stratoudaki, Haris Symeonidou, Maria Thanopoulou, Olga Tsakirides, Joanna Tsiganou, Christina Varouxi, Efi Venizelou, and Ersi Zacopoulou are all researchers at the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE).
This book is concerned with a large question in one small, but highly problematic case: how can a prime minister establish control and coordination across his or her government? The Greek system of government sustains a 'paradox of power' at its very core. The Constitution provides the prime minister with extensive and often unchecked powers. Yet, the operational structures, processes and resources around the prime minister undermine their power to manage the government. Through a study of all main premierships between 1974 and 2009, Prime Ministers in Greece argues that the Greek prime minister has been 'an emperor without clothes'. The costs of this paradox included the inability to achieve key policy objectives under successive governments and a fragmented system of governance that provided the backdrop to Greece's economic meltdown in 2010. Building on an unprecedented range of interviews and archival material, Featherstone and Papadimitriou set out to explore how this paradox has been sustained. They conclude with the Greek system meeting its 'nemesis': the arrival of the close supervision of its government by the 'Troika' - the representatives of Greece's creditors. The debt crisis challenged taboos and forced a self-reflection. It remains unclear, however, whether either the external strategy or the domestic response is likely to be sufficient to make the Greek system of governance 'fit for purpose'.
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