Too Little, Too Late: The Mismatch Between Social Policy and Social Crisis

Abstract

In this chapter, the author contrasts patterns of fragmentation and exclusion in the Greek social policy legislation before and after the onset of the economic crisis. He shows that the Greek welfare state was ill prepared to fight poverty and social exclusion even before the crisis struck. After the start of the crisis, because of austerity measures, social policy was considered a secondary priority. The budget to fight poverty and social exclusion was drastically cut, while the state continued discriminating in favour of some interest groups (liberal professions, employees of state-owned enterprises) at the expense of other categories of the population. Eventually, there was a clear mismatch between the size and nature of the grave problems facing Greek society on the one hand and the resources and policies devoted to address these problems on the other hand.