What are the limits of Europeanization? This book explores the impact of the European Union's agenda of structural reform on Greece. This is a setting that welcomes closer European unity, but which apparently struggles to adapt to the demands of adaptation. The book analyses why the domestic system has so often resisted adaptation in these important economic areas by charting policy initiatives over the last decade on privatization, labour market regulation, and pensions. Its findings raise questions about the scope of the EU to coordinate a programme of economic reform, alongside the inclusion and governability of a system that fails to deliver.
Author(s): Kevin Featherstone, Dimitris Papdimitriou
Edition: First Edition
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 240
Contents......Page 9
List of Tables......Page 12
Preface......Page 15
List of Abbreviations......Page 17
1.1 The focus of the book......Page 21
1.2 Why this case?......Page 25
1.3 The domestic political context......Page 29
1.4 Where the book fits in......Page 36
1.5 The core questions and argument......Page 38
1.6 The structure of the book......Page 40
2.2 Adjusting to external pressure: The Europeanization of Greece......Page 42
2.3 Hypotheses for the case studies......Page 55
2.4 Conclusions......Page 57
3.1 Political culture......Page 59
3.2 The party system......Page 61
3.3 Neo-corporatism: Explaining the Greek shortfall......Page 65
3.4 Models of capitalism: Greece as an outlier......Page 68
3.5 Welfare regimes: Greece's skewed and embryonic provision......Page 75
3.6 Distinguishing the Greek case: An empirical check......Page 77
3.7 Research hypotheses for explaining policy outcomes......Page 80
3.8 Conclusions......Page 83
4.2 The EU stimulus to domestic reform......Page 97
4.3 The wrong kind of mushroom: The key features of the Greek 'pension problem'......Page 102
4.4 Between appeasement and reform: Tackling the Greek pension 'problem' in the early 1990s......Page 105
4.5 Having one's fingers burned: The 1997 'Spraos report' on pensions......Page 111
4.6 The road to hell: Giannitsis's 2001 pension reform initiative......Page 115
4.7 Softly does it: The 2002 pension reform......Page 123
4.8 Let's wait for a while: ND at the helm (2004–7)......Page 131
4.9 Conclusion......Page 134
5.1 Introduction......Page 138
5.2 The EU stimulus to domestic reform......Page 139
5.3 'Greece isn't working': The weaknesses of the Greek labour market in perspective......Page 142
5.4 We really mean dialogue, honest! The road to the 1997 Confidence Pact......Page 145
5.5 What confidence? The 1998 labour market law......Page 150
5.6 This time is for real … or is it? Enter the 2000 labour market reform......Page 153
5.7 'You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs': ND in power, 2004–7......Page 161
5.8 Conclusion......Page 169
6.1 Introduction......Page 173
6.2 The EU stimulus to domestic reform......Page 176
6.3 Olympic Airways: The politics of non-management......Page 179
6.4 No cure available: Attempts to reform Olympic Airways 1994–2000......Page 185
6.5 Now you see it, now you don't! The birth of Olympic Airlines......Page 191
6.6 Pantheon what? ND in power, 2004–7......Page 197
6.7 Conclusion......Page 204
7.1 The original hypotheses: Explaining what happened......Page 208
7.2 Reform capacity: Can Greece live with Europe?......Page 219
7.3 Does Greece want to adapt to 'Europe'?......Page 225
7.4 The EU as an actor in the domestic reform process......Page 227
7.5 The limits to Europeanization......Page 229
Appendix......Page 230
Notes......Page 232
Bibliography......Page 242
C......Page 256
E......Page 257
F......Page 259
G......Page 260
L......Page 261
N......Page 262
P......Page 263
R......Page 265
U......Page 266
Z......Page 267
