General Confederation of Greek Workers

The European Union has fully committed itself to implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) in all its policies by 2030 and encourages every single one of the member states to do the same. However, laying down the foundations for a sustainable and inclusive economy in a situation of geo-political tensions is quite a daunting task and there is no certainty this can be achieved in the current economic climate. In addition, achieving sustainable economic growth (as defined by the European Commission) must be considered in the delicate balance between social progress on one hand and the pursuit of growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It is argued here that the right to a decent living, fair working conditions, the protection of social values must be at the forefront of economic policy. Also relevant is a ‘fair’ transition to climate neutrality. The emphasis is on the wellbeing economy covering the more important aspects such the need for social and productive investment, education and research and innovation. This timely publication appeals to those researching economics, sustainable development, geopolitics and sociology, as well as having implications for policy makers.

ABSTRACTThis paper sheds light on the debate on regional resilience to crisis in Greece, a country long suffering from insufficient planning mechanisms and recently hit by a severe economic crisis. In the paper, we discuss the spatialities of employment flexibilization vis-à-vis the devaluation of regional productive structures between 2005 and 2016. The paper critically builds on previous accounts of regional resilience, but also seeks to develop the concept through engaging in: (i) how different employment patterns, namely part-time work, present a powerful adaptive mechanism that is related to path-dependent regional production profiles; and (ii) why regions with less favourable pre-crisis production structures and anaemic growth seem to have been less affected by recession and may witness a faster recovery in its aftermath. The paper adopts a multi-layered methodology, using a variety of measures, offering an empirically grounded theorization of contemporary labour market changes within the Southern EU. The results indicate some key reasons for radically reformulating established regulatory and planning practices in order to promote a pattern of resilience that is more friendly to good and well-paid jobs. A prerequisite for the latter is the promotion of territorially cohesive strategies that reduce regional disparities and harness ‘unregulated flexibilization’.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of financial commitments on the short-run Phillips curve, under different institutional structures of the labour and product market, degrees of euphoria and ratios of firms' to workers' outstanding debt. We develop a Post-Keynesian conflicting-claims model that explicitly incorporates the impact of workers' and firms' financial commitments on distribution conflict and inflation. We propose different versions of the short-run Phillips curve for a debt-financed economy. We explore the impact of monetary policy on the shape and the position of the Phillips curve. We show that the inflation effects of monetary policy cannot be identified without prior knowledge about the institutional and financial structures of the economy, as well as about borrowers' desired margins of safety.

The studied coastal karstic system comprises “Selinitsa” Cave and “Drakos” Underground River. It is located in southwestern Greece across the western coastline of the Messinian Mani Peninsula. It is developed into limestones of Upper Senonian to Upper Eocene age belonging to the Mani geotectonic unit. “Selinitsa” is mainly developed above the sea level, whereas “Drakos” is under water down to -48 m. These two caves are now connected through a 28-m long narrow passage at depth of -28 m, thus creating a united karstic system. Both caves were initially separate and terrestrial. Today, the majority of cave passages of “Selinitsa” are terrestrial. In “Senitsa-Drakos” karstic system, sequential karstification base levels have been identified. These levels determined the karstic system development. “Selinitsa” passages are phreatic and vadose, whereas “Drakos” passages are only phreatic, acting as lifting tubes. The passage network of both caves presents dentritic pattern and comprises the hydrological equivalent of the surface drainage network. To the east of the karstic system, karst margin plains are present comprising karstified tectonic terraces, whereas above the “Selinitsa-Drakos” system manmade terraces exist for agricultural purposes.

As our world is becoming increasingly globalized, education — being part of the social sphere — cannot remain unaffected. This article explores the impact that the intermingling of culturally mixed populations and of diverse worldviews has on learning in postindustrial societies. Having reviewed the educational approaches that have so far ineffectively endeavoured to deal with Otherness, this article proposes the application of the ‘critical interculturalist approach’ — an approach that challenges the excluding patterns in postindustrial globalized societies, while at the same time building on globalization’s potential for generating a more pluralistic and inclusive society.

Ντάντης -Λάζαρος Λουκάκης

Two cases of the rare injury of avulsion of the triceps tendon are presented. The difficulties in clinical diagnosis and proper evaluation of the roentgenographic findings whenever present are discussed and the treatment is outlined.