European Discourses on Managing the Greek Crisis: Denial, Distancing and the Politics of Blame

Papadimitriou, Dimitris; Zartaloudis, Sotirios

doi:10.1057/9781137369239_3

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Krugman ). Additionally, it demonstrates the multi‐faceted failure of markets, national governments, and EU institutions to anticipate and deal with the crisis (Tsoukalis : 26–8; Papadimitriou and Zartaloudis forthcoming). It remains to be seen whether the (painful and unpopular) reforms discussed in this article will help in overcoming the crisis or whether Europe's southern periphery will face more hardship in the future.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, recent EU discourses blaming profligate southerners who have been living beyond their means (cf. Papadimitriou and Zartaloudis forthcoming) is only partially supported by empirical reality.…”

Section: Greek and Portuguese Welfare States Before The Crisis: Towarmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Reform inertia came to an abrupt end on 15 March 2010 when, in a highly atypical fashion for post‐authoritarian Greek politics, the PM announced significant cuts for public sector employees and (public and private sector) pensioners. According to PM George Papandreou, ‘Europe’ demanded these measures in exchange for its financial support through Eurozone and IMF loans (see Zartaloudis ; Papadimitriou and Zartaloudis forthcoming).…”

Section: Welfare State Policy In An Era Of Crisis: Abrupt Retrenchmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Impact of the Fiscal Crisis on Greek and Portuguese Welfare States: Retrenchment before the Catch‐up?

Zartaloudis

2014

Soc Policy Adm

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This article examines the impact of the ongoing economic crisis on Greek and Portuguese welfare state reforms in a comparative perspective with a particular focus on the public sector, labour markets and social protection. It is argued that the recent crisis caused 'shock and awe' in Greece and Portugal resulting in an unprecedented wave of cuts, tax rises and labour market reforms. In particular, public sector remuneration and jobs were cut, pensions were significantly curtailed and pension rights significantly restricted, successive tax hikes were implemented and welfare benefits became less generous and more conditional. It is argued that these reforms constitute a critical juncture and a considerable effort towards welfare retrenchment, which is which is implemented before converging with the more advanced welfare states of the EU15. Both countries appeared to be significantly more vulnerable to the crisis than the richer countries of Northern Europe (e.g. Germany, Austria, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands) and their larger Southern counterparts (Italy and Spain). Yet, the latter had to implement similar measures, albeit in a less abrupt and extensive fashion. In other words, it may be that size is less important than economic and political power for coping with the effects of the current crisis.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Greek and Portuguese Welfare States Before The Crisis: Towarmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Welfare State Policy In An Era Of Crisis: Abrupt Retrenchmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Impact of the Fiscal Crisis on Greek and Portuguese Welfare States: Retrenchment before the Catch‐up?

Zartaloudis

2014

Soc Policy Adm

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“…The crisis in Greece and its effects upon the political discourse has been a topic of analysis since early 2009. Papadimitriou and Zartaloudis (2015), for instance, examined the discourse of European policy-makers on the initial stages of the crisis, highlighting such themes as corruption and chronic mismanagement that resulted in elevated levels of mistrust between Greek governments and the EU. Closer to the approach of this research, Vasilopoulou et al (2014), conducting content analysis of parliamentary speeches, argued that the two mainstream parties of PASOK and ND engaged in mutual criticism and blame-shifting for the crisis and the failure to initiate successful reforms over the years.…”

Section: Crisis Exogenization Of Blame and Political Discoursementioning

confidence: 99%

Analysing Crisis Parliamentary Discourse in Greece: Whom Should We Blame?

Ladi

Tsagkroni

2019

J of Common Market Studies

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This article analyses differences in the varieties of political rhetoric on structuring and legitimizing argumentation and strategies during periods of economic and political crisis. Driven by developments in theory about blame‐shifting and the exogenization of the causes of crisis as well as employing advanced techniques of analysis, it focuses on the parliamentary bailout debates in Greece during the crisis period (2009–2015). By means of computer‐assisted content analysis it analyses the content of arguments on blame‐shifting. It shows that blame‐shifting is much more complex that just blaming the external enemy and often takes the form of historical blame‐shifting, turning the blame onto previous governments. It reveals that party leaders often use a much more polemic discourse than members of parliament. Finally, it shows that blame‐shifting diminishes once a party comes to power, following arguments on representative versus responsible government.

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“…overborrowing, overconsuming and underperforming), not least by key EU figures as this suited their need to contain the crisis by framing it as a Greek problem and, therefore, not allow it to spill over to a generalized Eurozone crisis (Papadimitriou and Zartaloudis 2015). While the merit of these positions and the relevance of a moral dimension to this crisis can be debated, the ultimate effect may have been one of causing the more belligerent social groups to further retreat into their trenches of shame.…”

Section: The Shame/violence Dynamic During the Current Crisismentioning

confidence: 99%

Humiliation, shame, and violence: Honor, trauma, and political extremism before and after the 2009 crisis in Greece

Gerodimos¹

2018

International Forum of Psychoanalysis

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Recent scholarship has mapped the dynamic between humiliation and violence, including the role of trauma and self-esteem. While existing research has mostly focused on individuals, there is a strong case for applying this framework to the macro-social level. Taking an interdisciplinary approach that combines psychoanalysis, cultural anthropology and political sociology, this paper carries out a step-bystep application of Gilligan's (2003) shame/violence theory to the case of Greece, focusing on the post-2009 era known as 'the Crisis'. The paper outlines the root causes of the shame/violence dynamic in Greece, with reference to communitarian moral codes and honor crimes, as well as political divisions, unresolved trauma and shame/violence spirals originating in the mid-20 th century. It then examines the role of humiliation during the current economic crisis, as well as the surge of political aggression. The application of Gilligan's theory provides us with a compelling interpretation of the civic culture in contemporary Greece, throwing light on patterns of collective self-harming behavior ("suicide by cop")-both, as a possible result of subjective humiliation, and, as a means of seeking pity and attention. The paper also identifies the existence of accumulated shame, which could lead to outbreaks of political extremism.

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European Discourses on Managing the Greek Crisis: Denial, Distancing and the Politics of Blame

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

The Impact of the Fiscal Crisis on Greek and Portuguese Welfare States: Retrenchment before the Catch‐up?

The Impact of the Fiscal Crisis on Greek and Portuguese Welfare States: Retrenchment before the Catch‐up?

Analysing Crisis Parliamentary Discourse in Greece: Whom Should We Blame?

Humiliation, shame, and violence: Honor, trauma, and political extremism before and after the 2009 crisis in Greece

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