Despite a somewhat promising start, the outgoing coalition government of New Democracy (ND), PASOK, and the Democratic Left proved to be short-lived, giving way to a more compact bipartisan cabinet consisting of only ND and PASOK ministers (at an agreed ratio of two-to-one). Toiling under the shackles of a sclerotic austerity program, the first few true attempts at structural reform and downsizing of the wider public sector met with mixed reactions and caused the three-party coalition government to implode. This is only the first episode in a new political era of short-lived coalition governments with shifting partisan compositions.
Discussion about the Greek crisis and its possible resolutions
London School of Economics
11 September 2012
On 11 September 2012 the Greek Public Policy Forum co-organised a discussion at the London School of Economics about the Greek crisis. The first part of the discussion focused on (a) what should be the long-term “vision” for Greek economy and society, and (b) what obstacles are preventing the evolution towards that vision and what ways exist to circumvent them. There were four talks by a panel of speakers, which was chaired by Dimitri Vayanos, followed by a Q&A session. The second part of the discussion, chaired by Nikitas Konstantinidis, focused on how diaspora Greeks could help with the resolution of the crisis. The event took place under the auspices of the Hellenic Observatory at the LSE.