A Citizen’s Guide to Greece 2015
0
comments
How geeks are taking over government
Posted June 14, 2013 by Politis
A very matter-of-fact clip in today’s Guardian on how open source technology is helping the British civil servants keep up with their work load — through the creation of “compelling digital services for government.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iahpVvPkCf4
comments
Stai’s the limit
Posted May 24, 2013 by MK
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 […]
comments
Civic education in Greece*
Posted February 24, 2012 by DW
By David Wisner Last November the Dukakis Center hosted an international symposium on political reform in Greece. We brought in a wide variety of distinguished practitioners, scholars, and journalists to engage in a frank public conversation about how the Greece of tomorrow might appear. We gave equal time to students and young professionals, however, and […]
comments
One Billion Rising
Posted February 11, 2013 by laura
On February 14th, the American College of Thessaloniki and the Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service will join the One Billion Rising in solidarity with and outrage at violence against women. This Thursday from 1-2pm in Effie Common, New Building, you are all being called to take “The Walk of Honor: put yourself in […]
comments
Saying of the day: 3/29/13
Posted March 29, 2013 by Politis
“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy: that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” — John Kenneth Galbraith
comments
Could citizenship ever be like surfing?
Posted June 27, 2013 by Politis
comments
One crook for another
Posted February 28, 2013 by Politis
This one’s rich. According to todays Chicagoland blog in the Chicago Tribune, “Republican voters are suggesting the 2nd Congressional District replace one felon with another after picking ex-convict Paul McKinley as the candidate to run for the seat recently ceded by former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.” Jackson pleaded guilty last week to misusing campaign […]
comments
The story of regulatory reform in Greece
Posted April 30, 2012 by pdcadmin
By Efi Stefopoulou Regulatory policy may be defined broadly as an explicit, dynamic, and consistent “government-wide” policy to pursue high quality regulation. Greek regulatory policy has been subject to a long-lasting reform effort that has just recently reached a major milestone. A law has just been enacted setting better regulation principles and prescribing the procedures […]
comments
Paid for services rendered
Posted November 4, 2013 by pdcadmin
By Fotinie Efstratiadou Here is a story about a public servant — an employee at the public ambulance service in Northern Greece — who missed work for five years from 2006 to 2011 and yet was payed throughout without his superior having been notified. One is almost left speechless. What can one think of these […]
comments
Journalists in jail
Posted March 22, 2013 by pdcadmin
By Kostas Vaxevanis Journalism is often either invested with magic powers or blamed for all that is wrong in the world. Both positions are wrong. Journalism is the way, lonely most of the times, of truth. Often colleagues discuss journalistic objectivity as a mausoleum where we kneel down. There is no objectivity. What matters is […]
comments
Open Government, E-Government, and Government 2.0
Posted January 8, 2014 by Politis
The MPA program at the University of North Carolina has a really useful “Citizen’s Guide to Open Government, E-Government, and Government 2.0.” They conclude that Open Government is here for the long haul. “Engaged citizens want clear, credible information from the government about how it’s carrying on its business. They don’t want to thumb through […]
comments
Kostas Ifantis at the Dukakis Center
Posted March 21, 2016 by Politis
The Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service at the American College of Thessaloniki in collaboration with Navarino Network and the Kalliopi Koufa Foundation Cordially invite you to attend a Dukakis Lecture by Kostas Ifantis Panteion and Kadir Has Universities Greece and Turkey: Neighbours in a […]
comments
Crimes against ourselves
Posted April 26, 2012 by iankehoe
Recently I read that a group of Greek anti-austerity campaigners want to bring the government on trial for ‘crimes against humanity’ at the International Criminal Court. Understandably, there is considerable anti-government sentiment at the moment. However I’d like to offer another perspective on what is going on, one that might not be popular. The problem […]
comments
The youth factor
Posted November 19, 2013 by pdcadmin
By Jiya Pinder Stability — economic, political and social — is a state that most countries strive for, any of the three aspects can offset or compromise the next, making national stability difficult to achieve for any government. In democratic societies and in societies in transition, “youth” play an essential role in maintaining stability. As […]
comments
From Delacroix to Dorian Grey
Posted February 10, 2013 by DW
By David Wisner If I were a photographer, I would take portraits of individual sitters. I would try to capture one’s eternal youthfulness, and yet simultaneously project the whole of one’s temporal experience. As I write these lines, I find myself thinking also that I might be able to discern the countenance of their personal […]
comments
What to do about getting the story out and getting the people organized
Posted April 10, 2013 by Politis
By Maria Kalogeroudi Two speakers with a common concern: acting against racial prejudice. The one, a journalist, the other, a community organizer. Meet Damian Mac Con Uladh. Damian is an activist journalist who used to work for Athens News. He explained what an activist journalist is: a journalist for whom the boundaries between personal and […]
comments
Oversight of Cyprus banks: how it should work
Posted March 20, 2013 by Politis
Clive Crook has this to say about the proposed legislation to tax depositors in Cyprus, an idea he labels as “stupid.” “You want bank bondholders to be concerned about the safety of their investment, so that they exert some discipline over the banks, and you want small depositors to rest easy about the safety of […]
comments
Look who’s running! (journalists and politics)
Posted April 23, 2014 by Politis
Politis asked Maria Patsarika, Krysta Kalachani, and David Wisner to comment on a recent article on tvxs.gr by journalist Stelios Koulouglou, a candidate for Syriza for the European Parliament. How compelling are Mr Koulouglou’s arguments likely to be among Greek voters? What does the inclusion of several journalists on the lists of the political parties […]