Participedia is an open global knowledge community for researchers and practitioners in the field of democratic innovation and public engagement. “We live in a world in which citizens of most countries are asking for greater involvement in collective decisions. Many governments, non-governmental organizations, and even some corporations are responding by experimenting with ways to increase public […]
Excerpts from Vangelis Mandravelis’ analysis of the myriad difficulties faced by Greek authorities seeking to move ahead with Greece’s privatization program, from today’s Kathimerini English pages. “Although Greece has been discussing its privatization program for almost three years, precious little has materialized to date. In essence, the sell-off program is yet to start, given that […]
By Maria Patsarika “She faces the music” – I can’t think of a better way to express my own thoughts about Kiki Dimoula, a great (the greatest?) poet of our times, and the uproar that her apparently xenophobic public comments caused. My inital reaction was surprise and disappointment in her. Greek intellectuals appear perplexed, lacking […]
Pedro Olalla, Spanish author and Philhellene, was Popi Tsapanidou’s final guest on Thursday’s Tora, discussing his experience living in Athens and his attempts to understand the crisis wracking Greek society. He also introduced his new book, Ελλάδος Ελάσσων Ιστορία, published in 2012 by Papazisi, and offered his thoughts on how his native Spain represents what […]
By David Wisner I have been on a quest over the past several months. I am looking for a vision of active citizenship suitable for our times. I admit to suffering from a bit of unease in this quest. In fact, the relative certitude I felt about the classic Anglo-Saxon model of public service I […]
Euros arriving by truck to Cyprus from Brussels.
Originally published by Stathis on February 19, 2013, at http://www.enikos.gr/stathis/121761,Apergia_dioti.html.
In response to recent media commentary that Greece has turned the corner in its economic woes, Bloomberg’s Megen Greece had this to say earlier in the week. “The nature of economic activity in Greece also suggests that the European Commission’s growth target is a pipe dream. Although hedge funds have been active in buying Greek […]
The story of one man’s quest — and a politician’s no less — to modernize the “most modern” of America’s cities… “Citizenville is the story of how ordinary citizens can use new digital tools to dissolve political gridlock and transform American democracy. As social networking and smart phones have changed the way we communicate with […]
By Pantelis Boukalas All those stereotypical expressions that recur in our speech probably once carried some actual meaning before losing it somewhere along the way. The value of these expressions was mostly undermined by overuse, which was in turn prompted by two apparently contradictory desires that in fact complement each other. On the one hand, […]
By Maria Kalogeroudi Elli Stai works for the public sector news channel which is essentially the voice of the leading political party. Apparently she would not dare to criticize Prime Messers Samaras and Papandreou. Blaming a party is unprofessional, no matter how right she is. However, criticizing and blaming are two different things. Golden Dawn […]
By Simona Ramos As times in Greece are getting worse and new taxes place an additional burden on the backs of millions of Greek citizens there are many things to be said and even more to be done. Ironically, but it seems that Greece have moved directly from its golden age to its age of doom. […]
Economists and others have stqated repeatedly that Greece needs to become more competitive to remain within the eurozone. We are rarely told why. Here, Stefan Garelli of IMD explains the meaning of competitiveness in this clip marking the release if the IMD’s 2013 World Competitiveness Ranking.
The Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service and Ianos Bookstore Cordially invite you to a presentation of Greek Urban Warriors: resistance and terrorism 1967-2014 by John Brady Kiesling Athens: Lycabettus Press, 2014 Monday, March 2, 2015, 7 PM Ianos Bookstore, Aristotelous 7, Thessaloniki Moderator: David Wisner The event will take place […]
What say we reverse roles. A regular reader of Politis sent this arresting image our way this morning, with the following caption by Banksy. “The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules. It’s people who follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages.” […]
By Krista Kalachani I just found a small gap to write a couple of things about what is happening in Italy. If you checked the newspapers in Italy this week, apart from the Pope’s election which is probably the most important news story of the week, one of the things that has been circulating is […]
By David Wisner I was invited not too long ago to discuss my views on citizenship on a local television program. What is different about citizens in Greece and in the US, was more or less the line of inquiry. I answered in somewhat broken Greek, and for fear that my thinking is not easily […]
Aristotle was, arguably, one of the fathers of the idea of public service. With this in mind Politis brings the following announcement to the attention of its gentle readers. “The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) on Feb. 13 will host an International Colloquium on Aristotle, featuring a series of lectures presented by researchers specialized in […]
Photographer Taslima Akhter on a photograph she took at a collapsed factory building in Dhaka, Bangladesh. “I have been asked many questions about the photograph of the couple embracing in the aftermath of the collapse. I have tried desperately, but have yet to find any clues about them. I don’t know who they are or what […]