A striking scene from the Copacabana.  

By David Wisner Politis has pointed this phenomenon up before. Newsworthy Grecians can no longer hide behind the figurative distance between Athens and the rest of the world, or the relative inaccessibility of the Greek language outside Greece. Two examples since the beginning of December suffice. Stephen Grey, who spoke at the Dukakis Center on […]

Is your vehicle currently insured? A penalty of 250 euros will apply for any uninsured vehicle the next few days, as soon as the cross check will be made by the Greek Ministry of Finance, since yesterday, was published the relevant law. If your vehicle is not then insured within two months, further penalties will […]

SEQUESTRATION ORDER FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013 PURSUANT TO SECTION 251A OF THE BALANCED BUDGET AND EMERGENCY DEFICIT CONTROL ACT, AS AMENDED By the authority vested in me as President by the laws of the United States of America, and in accordance with section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended […]

By Edward Scicluna, Minister of Finance, Malta There is nothing more undignified than the sight of a bankrupt person begging for assistance. The contrasts between the cosy and sometimes sumptuous living before the event and the state of helplessness and destitution soon after are stark indeed. While generous persons may come forward to offer their […]

By Lydia Richards I am a study abroad student and a Dukakis Center intern at the American College of Thessaloniki (ACT) from the US, where I attend the University of Northern Iowa and major in flute performance. At ACT, I am taking several International Relations classes. As someone who has not spent a great deal […]

By Ruth Sutton The Greek electorate voted with the less practical parts of their bodies in May… their feet, hearts and gall… and not so much with their heads. The two parties (and their dynasties) that have dominated the political scene for decades desperately needed a wake-up call, but will voters risk instability in order […]

Την Τετάρτη, 20 Νοε 2013, στις 18.00, στην αίθουσα πολλαπλών χρήσεων του Δημαρχείου Θεσσαλονίκης το Πανελλήνιο Παρατηρητήριο Οργανώσεων της Κοινωνίας των Πολιτών και ο Ευρωπαϊκός Όμιλος Εδαφικής Συνεργασίας (ΕΟΕΣ) «ΕΥΞΕΙΝΗ ΠΟΛΗ – Δίκτυο Ευρωπαϊκών Πόλεων για τη Βιώσιμη Ανάπτυξη» με την υποστήριξη του Δήμου Θεσσαλονίκης, οργανώνει την, ανοικτή σε όλους, «Πανελλήνια Πλατφόρμα Ενεργών Πολιτών». Η […]

Krysta Kalahani and Maria Patsarika, two of Politis’ regular contributors, enjoyed an exchange on Facebook this past weekend on the merits of “person-centered” municipal politics, inspired by a recent report, excerpted below, in the Thessaloniki daily Aggelioforos. We share an excerpt below. Krysta: I am coming to this article hot off a fcbk conversation with […]

German philosopher Juergen Habermas spoke at the Catholic University of Leuven last week to an audience that included students and Herman Van Rompuy, current President of the European Council. Habermas entitled his lecture “Democracy, Solidarity and the European Crisis.” What Europe needs, he said, “is solidarity and a cooperative approach that results from a shared […]

With all the talk of public sector reform in Greece these days, it would not be surprising if a casual reader might ask, what alternatives are there to the current state of affairs? Where might one start to look? Fear not, Google has an answer. It is called Constitute. It works, too, according to a recent […]

By Evangelos Kontos Experiencing these difficult days in Greek society first hand makes any person regardless of their political views, economic status, education, feel uncertain for the future, for the days to come. This uncertainty can transform to fear instantly and fear brings always his best friend with him, panic. A society in panic is […]

We all know the expression, “Send a letter to your Congressman.” A company in India has just launched a Short Message Service (SMS)-based grievances redress mechanism in India, essentially to do just that. There is no indication yet how frequently citizens will use the service, or how well the system will function.

From yesterday’s CNN, the following report that Senator Rand Paul will deliver the official Tea Party response to President Obama’s State of the Union Address on February 12. “Tea party leaders are turning to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, to deliver their message following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, a speech that will […]

By Politis We live in Greece. Most of us are Hellenes, a few others foreigners who reside here by choice; we have all lived and studied abroad. We have different ideological preferences. Some of us work for public entities, others in the private sector. A few of us run our own businesses, trying to keep […]

This weekly feature offers a glimpse of what is happening in and around Thessaloniki. Compiled by Laura Strieth. Thu 14th to Sun17th March – Slava’s Snowshow- The multi-award winning international sensation, Slava’s Snowshow, will be performing in Thessaloniki. Experience a joyous dream-like world which will touch both your heart and funny bone, culminating in a […]

By Konstantinos Bouas and Petros Katsimardos Introduction Human Resource Management policy is probably the most important challenge for Greek public administration, given the severe on-going crisis and the need to sharply reduce public expenditure. The high remuneration cost of Greek public servants (13,6% of GDP in 2009, against only 11% of OECD member countries [1]), […]

An excerpt below from an article by Brian Heaton in Governing relative to an Online Public Policy Simulator to be put into use in the US state of Massachusetts. “Estimating the financial impact of a new public policy is an uncertain science at best, even for the most experienced government official. What if [policy makers] […]

By Elias Kulukundis November 17 should be a national holiday. The courage of the unarmed students at the Athens Polytechnic led to the overthrow of the junta, and the day on which it, November 17, should not be a partisan political symbol that divides Left and Right, but a way for all Greeks to come […]

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 […]