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Regional analysis and regional policy in Greece

Περιλήψεις συνεδρίου

• Tsoulouvis, Lefteris

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to review the existing Greek literature on regional planning and study the methodological and theoretical background on which authors base their work. Examining the techniques used by empirical studies in relationship to their theoretical background, methodological principles, objectives and the data available, is part of the first objective. Second, to study the objectives of State regional policies in Greece, the means used for their implementation, and the degree of their success (wherever and in whatever sense such an evaluation target is legitimate), and relate the conclusions drawn from such a study to the evaluation of State policies attempted by a number of authors on this subject. Various questions arising during the examination of the above mentioned issues are also considered. First, is the reduction of "regional development planning" into the "development of the periphery", very often implied by various authors, the appropriate way in which "regional problems" should be dealt with the case of Greece; Second, how exactly do the deficiencies of regional policy relate to the deficiencies of regional analysis; Are the former just the outcome of the government not properly theorizing about the essence of regional problems, as some authors maintain; Are they due to the "contradictions" always present in a capitalist society between planning and the "laws of evolution of capitalism", as other authors imply; Should we consider the deficiencies of regional analysis the result of an unsuccessful application in the Greek case of theories imported from abroad; Must we take for granted, as frequently happens in the literature, that the objectives of the State are identical to those of the government, or consider the deficiencies of the State apparatus in planning matters as a result of government political choises; Finally, how all these issues relate to the basic development problems with which Greek society is faced at present and the relationships between civil society and the State;

• Sociology

• Κοινωνικές επιστήμες

Περιλήψεις των παρουσιάσεων στο συνέδριο της ΛέσβουAbstracts of papers presented at the Lesvos conference