Paradiplomacy and social cohesion: The case of the participation of the Greek municipalities in European city networks

Abstract

The recognition of the international role of the paradiplomatic initiatives of local authorities, in combination with the limited academic attention of paradiplomacy for city networking, set the framework of the present article. Its main theme is focused on the participation of the Greek municipalities in European social city networks during the programming period 2007-2013. The general research finding of the article is that the participation of Greek municipalities in European social city networks entails changes at the levels of structures, policies and procedures, but the above results are filtered by the endogenous framework of mentalities, bureaucratic procedures and organisational deficits of local government.

City diplomacy and public policy in the era of COVID-19: networked responses from the Greek Capital

“…On the grounds of their approved international partnerships, besides sharing information, good practices, experience, and advice on how to deal with COVID-19, some Greek municipalities have been cooperating with their foreign peers on social policy and on issues such as medical equipment procurement, donation of masks, or fundraising for relief packages (Karvounis, 2021). For instance, the municipality of Shanghai (China) has sent 20,000 masks to the municipality of Piraeus (Greece).…”