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Learning in Public Policy pp 191–214Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Blocked Learning in Greece: The Case of Soft-Governance

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Part of the book series: International Series on Public Policy ((ISPP))

Abstract

We observe the effects of the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) in Greece to uncover the variables that block learning. Empirically, we find that specific endogenous administrative, institutional and sociopolitical features of the Greek state obstruct learning processes, even when delegates active in the OMC committees and processes individually learn. Indeed, learning remains trapped within specific groups of national actors involved with reporting exercises and peer review meetings. Methodologically, we draw on triangulation of a variety of Greek official OMC documents, interviews with key national actors—in the field of poverty and social exclusion—as well as secondary literature. By highlighting the importance which domestic features play with respect to policy learning processes, we contribute to our understanding of the complexity of policy learning via EU soft modes of governance at the national level. In conclusion, we reflect on the comparative extensions of our findings and on whether the hardening of EU policy coordination in the recent season of successive bail-outs of Greece may change the state of play.

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Acknowledgements

I would kindly like to thank the editors and all other authors of this book for their helpful comments and suggestions on an earlier version of this chapter. The empirical data presented here is part of my doctoral research and I wish to acknowledge the guidance of my thesis supervisor at the University of Lausanne, Professor Yannis Papadopoulos.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut d’études politiques, historiques et internationales (IEPHI), Faculté des sciences sociales et politiques, Bâtiment Géopolis, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Thenia Vagionaki

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  1. Thenia Vagionaki
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Correspondence to Thenia Vagionaki .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Politics, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom

    Claire A. Dunlop

  2. Department of Politics, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom

    Claudio M. Radaelli

  3. Institute of Political, Historical, and International Studies, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Philipp Trein

Appendix 9.1: List of Interviews

Appendix 9.1: List of Interviews

Interviewee code

Official capacity

Organisation

Date

GR 1

Independent Εxpert, National Centre for Social Research (NCSR)

Network of Independent Experts on Social Inclusion, Athens

December 2013

GR 5

National Bureaucrat

Social Security and Social Solidarity (MoL), Member of the Social Protection Committee (SPC) and the Indicator’s Sub-Group (ISG), Athens

December 2013

GR 7

Independent Expert

National Centre for Social Research (NCSR), Network of Independent Experts on Social Inclusion, Athens

December 2013

GR 8

NGO Representative

KLIMAKA, Member of European Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA), Athens

December 2013

GR 10

National Bureaucrat

Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity, Unit of Social Protection, Former Member of ISG, Athens

December 2013

GR 11

National Bureaucrat

Social Security and Social Solidarity, Head of Special Unit for the Coordination and Monitoring of ESF Actions, Athens

December 2013

GR 12

NGO Head

ARSIS, Member of European Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA), founding member of the Greek strand of the European Antipoverty Network (EAPN), Athens

December 2013

GR 13

Independent Expert

University Professor at Panteio University of Social and Political Studies, Athens

December 2013

GR 14

Former Minister of Employment and Social Security (2001–02)

 

December 2013

GR 16

Former General Secretary of the Labour

Social Security and Social Solidarity (2005–09), Athens

December 2013

GR 17

Independent Expert

University Professor at Athens University of Economics and Business, Athens

December 2013

GR 20

Independent Expert

University Professor at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens

December 2013

EU 2

Policy Coordinator

European Antipoverty Network (EAPN), Brussels

May 2013

EU 5

Team Leader

European Platform against Poverty and Stakeholders Relations, European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Brussels

May 2013

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Vagionaki, T. (2018). Blocked Learning in Greece: The Case of Soft-Governance. In: Dunlop, C., Radaelli, C., Trein, P. (eds) Learning in Public Policy. International Series on Public Policy . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76210-4_9

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