Greek Political Science Review
Eurozine
Greek Political Science Review
2009-02-23
Constantine Tsoukalas
A tribute to the memory of Poulantzas
Poulantzas is not to be seen as the abstract theorist detached from everyday politics, as a dogmatist imposing a rigid schematization on recalcitrant political realities or as an easy-going reformist. He developed the idea of the relative autonomy of the capitalist state, objecting to widespread shallow instrumental conceptions in his time. The state itself is interpreted in terms of a system of shifting relations formed at the core of social conflict and transformation. By way of paying tribute to his memory the article shows the increasing relevance of his ideas in explicating the forms and role (regulative, ideological and coercive) of state powers in the era of economic globalization.
Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos, Spyridoula Nezi, Panayota Toka
What kind of Europe do Greek Members of Parliament want?
While European integration is widely considered a project of elites, from which masses are excluded or abstain, the attitudes of elites towards the European Union are seldom studied. This article is based on an elite survey which took place in 2007 in 18 member-states of the European Union. The analysis refers to the responses of parliamentary elites to three questions: How much do these elites trust European Union institutions and would they agree with the empowerment of such institutions? To what extent do they want the further development of European unification? And do they agree with the formulation of common European policies in selected policy areas? The distribution of attitudes is interpreted on the grounds of the parliamentarians's party affiliation, self-placement on the Left-Right scale and trust in European Union institutions.
Vivian Spyropoulou
European social democracy in decline? The development of electoral results 1950-2007
The article seeks to examine the electoral dynamics and the degree of the stability of the European social democratic parties in 15 countries of the European Union from 1950 to 2007. A basic analytical instrument used is the division of the period 1950-2007 in two sub-periods for analysis: a) 1950-1973 and b) 1974-2007, taking the year 1973 as a "turning point". After having studied the electoral results, the first conclusion we reach to is that there is a steady decline in social democrats' electoral influence. This is more obvious for the parties of "classical social democracy". Then, we analyse the party electoral mean change and relative mean change and electoral elasticity. However, the article neither confirms the argumentation of the "electoral end" of social democracy, nor strengthens the theory about "small and light electoral crisis".
Mihalis Psimitis
Non-governmental organisations and grassroots movements: Institutional and confrontational orientations
The aim of the article is to show that the complex nature of the relationship between grassroots movements and the NGOs lies in the fact that this relation contains elements of reciprocal exclusion and, at the same time, elements of feedback. Consequently, it seems appropriate to draw a distinction between those NGOs embedded in the general framework of collective action that we define as "social movements" and those that are decisively outside this framework (the big international NGOs). Many NGOs represent the most institutionally oriented and professionally organized sector of social movements, regarding aspects like networking, decision-making and their relation to institutions. In contrast, grassroots movements make up a different domain which is more conflict-prone oriented and organized in a system of relationships.
Katerina Rozakou
"Civil sociality" and "a society of solidarity" in the case of a voluntary association
This article examines the case of a voluntary association in Greece from an anthropological angle. Instead of using the "civil society" concept, the article employs the analytical category of sociality and focuses on the cultural constitution of social relations. "Civil society" is approached as part of the phenomenon and not as an analytical tool. Moreover, contemporary forms of sociality are related to other forms of extra-domestic sociality which are based on alternative ideologies of disinterestedness. The article suggests the understanding of the phenomenon as a transformation of historical cultural patterns of sociality and not as an indication of a shift that takes place in contemporary Greek social life.
Raymondos Alvanos
Political choices and ethnic identity in post-civil war Kastoria
The main objective of this article is to present and explain the political choices of the residents of the region of Kastoria during the post-civil war period. By studying of electoral results, the local press, archival material and interviews the "weight" of the historical experiences on the political behaviour of the two basic ethnic groups of the prefecture is examined. The basic argument is that the social and economic parameters of the conflict between the two ethnic groups in combination with the memory of the past traumatic experiences of the 40's were of decisive importance for their political orientation during the post-civil war period.
Anthony Makridimitris
Types of Leadership in Plato's Politicus
The question of leadership in social affairs has timelessly engaged political and administrative thinking and action. Small wonder then that the responses given to this problem vary considerably in several domains of collective experience. The conduct of war and military operations, the performance of contemporary business organizations, the functioning of political institutions and the challenges of governance in the public sphere, even religious, ideological or cultural movements and reforms are all connected with or affected by leadership. The latter has been occasionally explained as a matter of art or fortune, as an innate trait of the "charismatic" personality or as an outcome of coincidence. It has been related with morality and vision, as well as with practical efficiency or even brutal exercise of force. Little attention has been paid, however, to the distinction of the types of leadership discussed in Plato's Politicus. The present paper purports to clarify the conceptual significance of the analytical types of leader as shepherd, as therapist and as weaver on the basis of the above platonic dialogue.