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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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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