The evolution of social vulnerability in Greece during the economic crisis (2008-2017)

Challenges and Adjustments of Healthcare and Labor Policies in Greece During the COVID-19 Era: A Critical Assessment of the Key Social Policy Responses

“…As Aristodemou, Buchhass, and Claringbould (2021) argued, European countries with ineffective or problematic healthcare systems appeared to have implemented tighter containment measures during the pandemic that are significantly associated with the occurrence of greater negative socio-economic impacts. While at first glance accessibility and efficiency of the healthcare system may not relate to the implementation of restrictive measures to deal with the spread of the coronavirus and their impact on the labor market and economy, it is nevertheless clear that all these problems highlight the urgent need to strengthen healthcare policies and improve employment on the grounds of interconnectedness and directness (Melidis & Tzagkarakis, 2021).…”

“…It is understandable that the level of de-commodification of health needs is extremely low compared to all developed European countries. From this perspective, this situation exacerbates inequalities and creates coverage gaps, particularly for vulnerable socio-economic groups even prior to the pandemic (Melidis & Tzagkarakis, 2021). Simultaneously, just before the outbreak of the pandemic (2020), the healthcare workforce was reduced by 2,252 permanent employees compared to 2019 with the imbalances in terms of distribution and staffing levels being notable through an overabundance and unequal distribution of doctors and a significant shortage of nurses (Ministry of Interior, 2020).…”

“…Such problems included the failure to provide proper information to administrative services, lack of training and specialization of administrative staff, administrative centralization, distortions and inequalities in the allocation and performance of material and human resources, deficiencies in the diagnosis of needs, and consequent prioritization of interventions (Tzagkarakis, 2017). As a result of those, significant inequalities and access issues to healthcare services were caused which then became even more pronounced for the most vulnerable social groups that lack the capacity to meet their own healthcare needs (Karanikolos et al, 2013, Melidis andTzagkarakis, 2021). As is clearly indicated in Figures 4 and 5, during the financial crisis public spending on health was decreased, while private spending and the unmet health needs for the lower economic strata (first and second quantiles) were seriously increased.…”

Προς Μια Ισχυρότερη Διακυβέρνηση Της ΕΕ Για Την Υγεία: Απειλές Μετά Την Πανδημία COVID-19

“…Ένα άλλο μεγάλο πρόβλημα που είχε να αντιμετωπίσει η ΕΕ ήταν το μεγάλο χάσμα κοινωνικής ευαλωτότητας, τόσο ανάμεσα στα κράτη μέλη, όσο και σε κοινωνικές ομάδες στους κόλπους των ίδιων των κρατών μελών. Άλλωστε, μελέτες έχουν δείξει στο παρελθόν ότι τα άτομα που είναι ευάλωτα κινδυνεύουν πολύ περισσότερο να βιώσουν τον κίνδυνο και να απειληθούν από αυτόν, μέχρι του σταδίου της ολικής καταστροφής ή του θανάτου σε περίπτωση μιας γενικευμένης κρίσης, οποιασδήποτε μορφής (Melidis & Tzagkarakis, 2022). Συνεπώς, όπως κατέδειξαν σχετικές έρευνες σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο και στην περίπτωση της νέας πανδημίας, τα επίπεδα της νοσηρότητας και της θνητότητας από την COVID-19 ήταν υψηλότερα για τις πιο ευάλωτες κοινωνικοοικονομικές ομάδες, όπως οι μετανάστες, οι φτωχοί, οι ηλικιωμένοι και οι άνθρωποι με χαμηλό εκπαιδευτικό επίπεδο (Τζαγκαράκης, Παππάς & Κρήτας, 2021).…”

Income Inequality in the Over-Indebted Eurozone Countries and the Role of the Excessive Deficit Procedure

“… 14 Referring to Greece, the issue of income distribution has been the subject of numerous empirical studies, such as Melidis and Tzagkarakis ( 2021 ); Andriopoulou et al ( 2017 ); Kaplanoglou and Rapanos ( 2016 ); Matsaganis and Leventi ( 2014 ); Mitrakos ( 2014 ); Koutsampelas and Tsakloglou ( 2013 ); Mitrakos and Tsakloglou ( 2012 ); Tsakloglou and Mitrakos ( 2006 ); Tsakloglou and Panopoulou ( 1998 ); Tsakloglou ( 1993 ), and Tsakloglou ( 1990 ). A large number of studies have been carried out for the other three over-indebted countries as well, such as Iacono and Ranaldi ( 2021 ), Garofalo et al ( 2018 ), Bonhomme and Hospido ( 2013 ), Pijoan-Mas and Sánchez-Marcos ( 2010 ), Budria ( 2010 ), and Goerlich and Mas ( 2002 ).…”