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The hierarchy of planning tools allows for rigorous guidance of decision-making at the local level driven by a broader purpose determined at a higher level of policy formulation. The aim of this paper is to challenge the concept of hierarchy examining the structure of the Greek spatial planning system as derived from the basic institutional framework and through its legal principles. Hierarchy is explored as a result of a consensual process in decision making while case-law is used as a methodological tool in order for special parameters in framing spatial planning to be recognised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper opens by establishing a fact through fieldwork: a 70-year-old mass grave containing the remains of several hundred communist fighters who died in the battle of Florina (12 February 1949) was recently marked by a monument commemorating the fallen combatants. The erection of the monument (inaugurated in 2016) bypassed other sequences typically present in similar cases. None of the steps conventionally encouraged by post-conflict peacebuilding initiatives: exhuming the human remains in order to identify them, dignify them, move them (or return them to their families), and finally reinter them--was undertaken. A central piece of the memorial site built around the (quite large) spot of the mass grave, the monument de facto seals the human remains underground. In order to understand the ethnographical facts, we follow several trends of explanation. After looking at the conflict (the Greek Civil war), we show the intricacies of local panorama in which political struggle was underpinned by long-standing ethnic conflict. The nexus of memory-and-history is analyzed under two angles, the hidden memory of the defeated and the various claim on the "historical truth" laid by historical and new political formations. The struggles over "historical truth," in relation with the extremely sensitive issue of the unity of the nation (and the blame laid on some populations for "national treason") are viewed as one of the reasons for the lack of any demand for, or the practice of, transitional justice. Political agendas, along with the continuing marginalization of the most directly concerned group, are in fact obstacles to exhumation: if not feared, the identification after the removal of the dead from the mass grave was not supported by any social force or group. Other elements: specific ritual treatment of the dead in Greek culture, issues of land property and land use--are brought in line to suggest that, instead of exhuming the dead bodies, the field containing them could be more easily transformed into burial ground. The local response, as well as the initiatives taken by political actors, did all meet in one point: transforming the mass grave into a funerary site by granting it the legal status of a "green space." It is this consensus that explains why a monument to the dead was erected--so as not to have to exhume them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the digitalization process of an originally school-based educational programme to an online version and confirms its efficacy on teaching young children as well as their parents about stroke symptoms and the necessary actions needed to be taken in the event of a stroke. Forty children (20 children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and 20 without NDDs), aged 4–9 years, as well as 35 of these children's parents (30–50 years old) participated in the study in Greece. All individuals watched 5 educational videos, designed and produced by the Super Grand League Team. Each video had a mean duration of 15 minutes. Most children had no prior knowledge neither in stroke symptoms nor to the appropriate actions after a stroke. Children's knowledge of stroke symptoms (except the symptom of speech disturbance) and the appropriate actions following stroke improved significantly immediately post training (p < 0.05). Children with NDDs demonstrated no significant differences when compared to their peers without NDDs in regards to the knowledge gains. In the same line, parents showed a significant increase in their knowledge as regards the stroke symptoms (p < 0.001). Only 2 parents (5.7%) knew the correct emergency number before participating in the online programme, while all of them (100%) responded correctly after the programme. The current work using multimodal remote education demonstrates significant improvement in learning about stroke symptomatology and the necessary steps that need to follow. Future work should evaluate the impact of digital interventions in respect of onset-to-door times and stroke outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates migrant representation patterns according to media political orientation, analyzing the coverage of key-events by liberal/conservative online newspapers of France, Greece, Italy, UK. From our textual and visual analysis, it is possible to recognize slight specificities between liberals and conservatives, but not indicative of a deep change of narratives. In both, we registered a prevalence of the "acceptance frame", an infrequent use of negative tones in texts and aesthetic topic in images, among the "topics of suffering" by Boltanski. Moreover, a domesticity approach limiting the possibility of new narratives of Europe and the rest of the world emerges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents and discusses data from a qualitative study carried out in April and May 2020 with families under lockdown in Italy (N = 319) and Greece (N = 297). The research examined how confinement and restrictions on movement had impacted families' everyday geographies (with a particular focus on 'liminal' places located between homes and public spaces, such as balconies, hallways, courtyards, backyards), as well as parents' most valued public spaces and propensity (and modes) to use them. Data were analysed following a top-down thematic approach. The results suggest that restricted access to public spaces (as enforced during the Greek and Italian lockdowns) may influence the signification of domestic places, prompt remodulation of the dialectic between public and private spheres, and bring to light the social value of families' (parents and children's) experiences in public spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the participation experiences that a nursery school gained through its involvement in an environmental education program that focused on the transformation of the school ground. The research took place in a nursery school in Greece, in which 15 preschool children aged 4 years old and their teacher were engaged in participatory action research. The research emphasizes the rights and abilities of young children as equal participants, solution seekers, problem solvers and initiators of action on authentic issues of their everyday environment. The research was based on a combination of action research and participatory planning methods. The findings of the research highlight the ability of young children to express their ideas and practice critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration skills. When the teachers decided to withdraw their authority, the whole nursery school practiced democratic dialogue and action skills. New participation experiences took place for both children and adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study sheds light on an issue very little research has been conducted on so far, the discrimination trans people in Greece are subjected to every day. The findings presented in this paper are part of a larger study focusing on trans persons' life experiences in contemporary Greece. Eleven participants identified various discrimination areas, employment, education, family, romantic relationships and daily life; participants also pointed out specific measures that would contribute to the improvement of their life. Findings are discussed in relation to measures toward eliminating discrimination against trans persons such as the improvement of gender recognition legislation, an increase in general education regarding gender identity issues and the need for transgender-focused research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The year 1930 was a turning point for Greek-Turkish relations. It was the year that the two neighbouring countries set the foundations for their close diplomatic cooperation that lasted throughout the 1930s. This paper seeks to explain the reasons why Greece decided to pursue such a policy. It is argued that Athens was eager to form a pro-status quo front with Ankara in order to deter the revisionist tendencies of powers in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean (namely Bulgaria and Italy). This was a strategic choice on the part of Greece which explains why it was followed by all the Greek governments (irrespectively of their ideological and/or partisan association) from 1930 until the outbreak of the Second World War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive mechanisms such as short-term memory (STM) are considered to relate to speech development, yet the extent of potential limitations in children with speech sound disorders (SSD) is unknown and the nature of the relationship is debatable. The present paper explores the development of speech input and output processing skills along with STM skills in Greek-speaking children with SSD and typically developing (TD) controls. Potential relationships in performance between tasks that require phonological processing are explored. Participants with SSD aged 5;1–6;2 years (n = 30) and TD controls aged 5;1–5;11 years (n = 100) were monolingual Greek-speaking children. Speech processing skills and phonological storage were assessed as follows: (1) Input processing: a nonword auditory discrimination task was used to assess phoneme discrimination skills. Stimuli comprised 24 pairs of nonwords consisting of the same number of phonemes (2–7 phonemes) and syllables (1–3 syllables). (2) Output processing: a nonword repetition task was used to assess speech production skills. Stimuli comprised 24 nonwords of varying length (2–5 syllables). (3) STM: a task of immediate verbal recall was used to assess phonological storage. Stimuli comprised a chunk of five words; each word (2–4 syllables long) was semantically unrelated to others. The results showed that TD children outperformed children with SSD in all tasks; a significant correlation between performance in nonword repetition and immediate verbal recall was found for TD children. There were no significant correlations between performance on nonword auditory discrimination with nonword repetition or with immediate verbal recall for TD children or children with SSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars concerned with the use of ICTs at the EU's external borders have mainly focused on practices of control that draw on sophisticated surveillance technologies. In this paper I address migrants' use of ICT itself, arguing that it has fundamentally transformed how undocumented border crossings are actually accomplished. In late 2015, when every day thousands of migrants crossed the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece, GPS-enabled smartphones played a pivotal role during their journeys, allowing migrants to navigate the sea and to get in touch with transnational support networks. Based on my own work for one of these networks, the WatchTheMed Alarm Phone, I demonstrate how migrants made emergency calls or alerted supporters via WhatsApp, who in turn mapped and tracked their positions and movements at sea and intervened in situations of distress in real-time. The paper contributes to debates on 'data politics' (Bigo, Isin, and Ruppert [2019]. Data Politics. Worlds, Subjects, Rights. London: Routledge) by drawing on the concepts of viapolitics and tempo-politics. While the former captures how journeys, vehicles and routes of migration become means and sites of contestation, the latter addresses situations in which the time-spaces of migration become matters of concern in border struggles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper defines the solution to the European Sovereign Debt Crisis as a European solidarity deal and analyzes it from the perspective of citizens in an EU debtor state. To be more precise, we test the conditions under which citizens living in an indebted state support their country's part of the solidarity deal, namely the introduction of austerity measures to overcome the crisis. Using Greece in the peak of its drama as a case in point, we find that the belief in the necessity of the deal due to pessimistic economic evaluations, citizens' support for their country's EU membership as well as economic right-wing positions were clear determinants for citizens' vote in favor of the introduction of austerity measures, otherwise known to be highly unpopular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates cave use strategies in insular environments, focusing on a case study from Santorini (Thera) island in Greece. The paper has a two-fold aim to propose and test a methodological framework for noninvasive archaeological evaluation of cave sites and to explore the ways that people, not only on Santorini, but also on similar small islands, have engaged with caves through time. Santorini is famous today as a holiday destination; however, a large part of the island's historic landscape has disappeared. This is due to the Bronze Age volcanic eruption that covered the majority of the island with a thick layer of tuff and pumice, as well as intensive building and agricultural activity in the second half of the twentieth century, all of which have dramatically transformed the island's natural environment. Today, our accounts of the island's prehistory come from the extraordinary preservation of the Akrotiri site, and considerable knowledge gained from other locations, about the role that the island played diachronically in the history of the Aegean. We are, however, still missing valuable information about the relationship between the island's inhabitants and their environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent scholarship has mapped the dynamic between humiliation and violence, including the role of trauma and self-esteem. While existing research has mostly focused on individuals, there is a strong case for applying this framework to the macrosocial level. Taking an interdisciplinary approach that combines psychoanalysis, cultural anthropology, and political sociology, this paper carries out a step-by-step application of Gilligan's shame/violence theory to the case of Greece, focusing on the post-2009 era known as "the Crisis." This paper outlines the root causes of the shame/violence dynamic in Greece, with reference to communitarian moral codes and honor crimes, as well as political divisions, unresolved trauma, and shame/violence spirals originating in the mid-twentieth century. It then examines the role of humiliation during the current economic crisis, as well as the surge of political aggression. The application of Gilligan's theory provides us with a compelling interpretation of civic culture in contemporary Greece, throwing light on patterns of collective self-harming behavior ("suicide by cop") – as both a possible result of subjective humiliation, and a means of seeking pity and attention. The paper also identifies the existence of accumulated shame, which could lead to outbreaks of political extremism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital storytelling is an advantageous practice for older adults. Although researchers have widely studied the effects of various recording media on users, including even their feelings of loneliness, to the best of our knowledge, there is no study that distinguishes and compares those effects within the digital storytelling process. In this exploratory case study, we tried to gain further insights into older adults' technology-mediated storytelling, the interactions, and the outcomes that different kinds of recording media have on users. Therefore, three storytelling components (paper notebook, voice recorder, and web platform) were used to probe their usability and emotional outcomes on five pensioners in Greece. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, among others, were implemented for data collection. According to the results, there was a variety of benefits and shortcomings for each tool. However, the web platform had a clear effect on decreasing users' loneliness. Implications and future work on digital storytelling are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism is one of the most important industries in the Mediterranean countries, which strongly contributes to the economic activity, capital investment and job creation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants influencing profitability of hotel companies in selected Mediterranean countries. Thereby, dynamic panel data models are estimated on an extensive dataset for the period from 2007 to 2015. The paper provides evidence on differences among internal profitability determinants of hotel companies operating in tourism competitive countries. The results indicate that the cash flow to operating revenue has a statistically significant and positive impact on profitability in all observed countries. The total asset turnover ratio is significant for all countries except Portugal, while labour productivity is significant only for Spain, which is also the country with the highest turnover per employee. The solvency ratio is positively related to profitability, except for Greece as the most indebted country. Size proved to be significant for hotels in Spain and Portugal, while age is the variable by which the countries mostly differ, as findings show a different impact of underlying variable on hotel profitability. Findings provide information to shareholders that would ensure profitability of hotel companies operating in different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eleventh Aegean Analytical Chemistry Days (AACD2018) was held in Chania, Crete, Greece during the period from 25 to 29 September 2018. The scientific framework consisted of 13 oral sessions and 2 poster sessions. Papers in fields such as atomic and molecular spectrometry, mass spectrometry, bioanalytical and clinical analysis, chromatography and separation techniques, electroanalytical methods and biosensors, speciation analysis, sample preparation, chemometrics, quality control/quality assurance and chemical metrology, environmental analysis, food analysis and pharmaceutical analysis were presented during this five-day conference. The social program included a visit to the Botanical Park of Chania and dinner with Cretan dishes and a post-conference one-day excursion to Knossos and Herakleio. During the closing ceremony, it was announced that the next AACD will be organized in Turkey by Professor Sezgin Bakirdere at Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to reveal the opportunities that could arise from the revival of abandoned settlements rich in architecturally interesting buildings in the rural renaissance context. Concepts such as settlement abandonment, land abandonment, back to land movement, and rural renaissance are behind the need for the rural settlements' renaissance and are analyzed briefly herein. The paper focuses on the municipality of Prespes in Greece, a natural habitat with plenty of abandoned or declining settlements. The outstanding landscape, the deserted buildings that still have architectural interest and the area's rurality provide an interdisciplinary frame for looking into the renaissance of abandoned rural settlements from a new perspective. Area censuses reveal abandoned, sparsely populated or declining settlements, which could follow specially designed action plans for their revitalization; the land cover also indicates development opportunities for each settlement. Finally, the paper outlines proposals for the revitalization and sustainable development of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses biometric borders in Europe, focusing on the Eurodac database and practises of fingerprinting people on the move in Greece as a politicised attempt to control and limit secondary movement as set out in the Dublin Regulation. The paper presents empirical research to explore one way in which migrants in Athens negotiate Eurodac; where alternative imaginaries informed ideas of 'big' and 'small' fingerprints, shaping interactions with the asylum service as well as secondary movement. I use Autonomy of Migration (AoM) theories to depict borders as places of ongoing conflict, subjectivity and transformation and introduce the work of Castoriadis' social imaginaries and the radical imagination to explore migrants' alternative imaginaries. I argue that these occur at points of friction, within the constraints of, and alongside, a dominant socio-technical imaginary driving the proliferation of biometric border controls. I believe this enables a deeper understanding of the autonomy with AoM theories. Here, autonomy is presented as instances of self-creation, spurred on through the radical imagination and shaping moments of uncontrollability, where the subjective dimension of migration informs both meanings of autonomy as well as alternative imaginaries. Ultimately, I argue that these practices seek to disrupt and challenge the dominance of biometrics as a signifier of control, identity and truth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws inspiration from the observation that Byzantine icons in Greek museums are exhibited in an unrestored state, with traces of damage and loss kept visible, in contrast with the majority of painted artworks. To identify the reasoning behind this approach to public presentation, research based on interviews with scholars in the field was conducted. The main issues they raised are summarized and discussed. Conservation ethics, the interests of scholars of the Byzantine period, ideological ferment in Greece between the two world wars, the impact of historical events and the role of religion as a living tradition in Greece are themes that recurred throughout the interviews. It appears that along with scientific and rational developments, broader ideologies and aesthetics that derive from evolving social influences also influence conservation decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the interconnections between sovereign debt and the competitiveness of nations in the aftermath of the recent sovereign debt crises in the Eurozone. Further, it identifies new challenges to improving competitiveness. Based on a deductive approach, we analyse secondary data regarding sovereign debt and competitiveness in 28 EU countries for the period from 2006 to 2017. We also look at the recent theoretical developments in the competitiveness of companies, nations, and regions with the goal of identifying the new challenges to Portuguese competitiveness. In the period under analysis, Greece, Ireland, and Portugal had considerable losses in competitiveness and increases in their sovereign debt ratio. Despite benefiting directly from Porter's insights into improving the country's competitiveness, the Portuguese sovereign debt ratio has increased steeply. A previous analysis identified a path; however, there are new challenges such as those associated with EU competitiveness, shared value, and smart connected products. These need to be considered to support the creation of new strategies and policies for a small and open economy. Based on our analysis, we argue that competitiveness-oriented policies must more explicitly consider the negative implications of sovereign debt, and must recognize the new challenges to competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to disentangle the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on four major Greek bank stocks that were traded in the Athens Stock Exchange during the period the pandemic begun. To this end we employ an event study methodology and estimate Cumulative Abnormal Returns (CARs) that stem from three key announcement dates. These dates include two monetary policy and a major health news announcement. The four banks we focus on are the National Bank of Greece, Eurobank, Alpha Bank and Piraeus Bank. We calculate abnormal stock returns in windows of ±10, ±5, ±2, ±1 and day of the announcements, and report that monetary policy announcements either do not affect stock performance or their effect is only mild, while health news have a positive impact on stock returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the influence of service quality dimensions on the satisfaction of personal training studios and gyms' customers in a physical and digital environment through online and offline training sessions. Also, it fills a gap in research concerning the existence of different expectations that trainees may have from the two types of training offerings. Drawing on the service quality literature, SERVQUAL's dimensions were employed to test the six formulated hypotheses. Data were collected from 363 customers of personal training studios in Greece, which have experience in both online and offline training sessions, using the convenience sampling method, both online and offline training sessions. To test the first five hypotheses, regression analysis for both session types was performed, and as for hypothesis 6, the Laplace criterion was used. Findings indicate that for both online and offline training sessions, Perceived Value was the most important dimension, followed by Assurance, Responsiveness and last Reliability, whereas Empathy was insignificantly related. Also, results revealed a different expectation level between the two service offering methods, where trainees seem to expect more from offline than online sessions. The results indicate that among strong service quality dimensions are variables that are within the reach of management. The paper adds to the existing research on service quality in the sports and fitness industry by focusing on personal training studios and gyms, as well as on trainees' quality perception and expectations of the relatively new online channel of service provision in the specific area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the factors for the 'big moment' of the far right, its Big Bang, i.e, when far-right parties transform from marginal 'groupuscules' into considerable political players. It is the moment when political supply and social demand interact, like two elements in a chemical reaction, and are transformed into far-right vote; the far-right redox. What are the conditions and the catalyst that allow the far-right redox to take place? Discussing the importance of the media as a resource for all political actors, and especially the far-right party family and analysing examples from three Balkan countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia), Greece and France, the working hypothesis is that a necessary and sufficient condition is the occurrence of a media-induced event that acts as a catalyst, leading to their rise from the political margins to the political mainstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prefacing the 2007 reprint of Der Leib, der Raum und die Gefühle (1998), Hermann Schmitz, founder of the Neue Phänomenologie movement, contends that the rationalism of the early Enlightenment, its belief in objective truth and in measurable, empty space, is rooted in a much earlier event: The Enlightenment of the fourth/fifth centuries B.C. in Greece which marked a decisive shift away from a view of a dynamic, filled and thus relational cosmos. Whereas here, humans and natural phenomena are still interconnected, corporeal and dynamically involved with each other, the new paradigm is defined by intellectualism and an inward turn, with consciousness emerging as the culturally-sanctioned intellectual forerunner of solipsism and its cultural footprint: radical disconnection. In this paper, I argue that while cultural paradigms cannot easily be undone, with the help of phenomenological thinking, we have access to a different narrative, an important first step in re-thinking both interconnection and human responsibility in a world in which we have done so much damage. Outlining the contributions of Husserl (intersubjectivity) and Merleau-Ponty (embodiment and perception) as well as Schmitz (atmosphere), I hope to show that the phenomenological focus shifts from an initial Cartesianism (Husserl) towards relationality and an ethical re-focussing. By articulating a model of perception in which every moment of our understanding is shaped by relationality, phenomenological voices contribute alongside other forms of cultural expression to give hope for a different way of doing things, a hope badly needed in times of war and environmental disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As current evolutions make the social economy increasingly visible and important, the paper examines the role of networking in social economy initiatives in strengthening their innovativeness capacities, and, thus, increasing their potential for societal transformation. Our analytical framework reflects the different clusters of networking relations within and outside social economy initiatives, as well as the roles of cognitive frames, skills and capacities, governance, activities, and funding under each of these networking clusters. This analysis is then applied in a particular social economy initiative, Cretamo, a consumers' cooperative operating a grocery store in Thessaloniki, Greece. The results indicate that Cretamo has developed in the central node of an eco-system of same-minded social enterprises in the agro-food sector, offering an alternative niche to the mainstream economic model. This has changed relations both within the initiative and in its networks, while, at the same time, allows for increased innovativeness capacities. Cretamo has not yet the power to challenge the existing mainstream regime. Yet, it offers a valid alternative niche, which, combined with the socio-economic crisis still experienced in Greece and expected to intensify in the future, creates strong potential for societal transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Philosophy may be accused of being an exclusive theoretical enterprise. Although it is concerned with the important issues of life it may appear to be a purely academic matter pursued by few educated scholars and therefore somehow detached from everyday way of being of people uneducated in philosophy. In the field of the philosophy of sport, the essential ambition is to provide relevant insights into a vast area of sport that will promote our philosophical understanding and knowledge of the relevant topics. This paper offers another perspective on the role of philosophy in sport. I argue that philosophy is not just about reflecting from an academic distance, but the process of philosophizing could be situated within the sporting practices. This type of relationship between philosophy and sport is already apparent in ancient Greece where philosophers (such as Pythagoras or Socrates) liked to be engaged in physical exercises and to combine them with philosophical discussions with athletes. The article explores a practical role of philosophy in sport, namely the process of philosophical thinking and dialogue with athletes and their coaches. It offers insights into methodology, goals, benefits, and limits of using philosophy in practice. I reflect on my personal experience of being a mental coach and philosophical consultant in sport in the Czech Republic. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the relevance of using philosophy (philosophical practice) in the sporting environment. In doing so, I reflect on the nature and purpose of philosophical thinking and its possible relation to sport psychology and mental coaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine and coastal areas are under significant pressures due to the intense concentration of population and activities that often drive in conflicts. Marine spatial plans need to be enacted and implemented, considering the particularities of marine areas, the existing and future activities and uses and their environmental impact and the land–sea interaction. The paper main question concerns the emerge of uses conflicts on marine and coastal areas, with significant uses accumulation. Crete Island is used as the case study. It studied the conflicts or synergies of marine uses as well as their spatial and quantitative representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seaplanes as a transport mode provide the flexibility of using land and water infrastructure for their operations. This functionality presents an opportunity for regions with water surfaces, especially when the sea and air connectivity are the only options. This paper presents an exploratory analysis of seaplanes' potential as a mode of transport in Greece. After reviewing the topics of air connectivity, remote regions and the coexistence of modes of transport, a survey is designed to collect information on the perspectives of potential users in the Greek region. In total 200 replies of residents and non-residents of the country are collected and reflect a social perspective of seaplane operations. It is found that the main aspects that would motivate passengers to choose seaplanes would be the offered trip duration, the ticket price and the trip convenience. The collected information is used for the elaboration of SWOT analyses that assess seaplane operations at a strategic decision-making level in transport planning and technology management. The analysis concludes that the potential of seaplanes as a transport mode lies on the enhancement of sustainable transport, the connectivity of isolated regions and their economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to describe the characteristics of school reputation of five lower secondary schools located in the sixth largest city in Greece, as it emerges from the views and experiences of parents, and how it shapes school choice. To this end, 63 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of children attending the last grade of nine adjacent primary schools, constituting a local education quasi-market. Parental responses were analyzed using thematic content analysis. We found that school reputation depends on the social characteristics of the broader area, student academic performance, teachers' characteristics, and school infrastructure. Moreover, parents exercise school choice, although this is formally prohibited in Greece, using school's reputation as the main criterion of selection. The usual pattern of choice is the avoidance of schools with a negative reputation, rather than the active selection of schools with positive reputation. To build knowledge on school reputation, parents mostly rely on social networks and personal experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greece was never internationally renowned for its defence industry; in fact, its state-owned industries were usually a source of headaches rather than income for Athens. The Debt Crisis (2008-18) compounded the chronic ills of the Greek defence ecosystem which appeared to decline irreversibly. And yet, in recent years they rebounded and reached new heights. How can this surprising turnaround be explained? And what does it indicate for the future of the Greek defence industry? This paper aspires to examine how the Greek defence ecosystem (state- and private-owned) evolved from a stage of stagnation and decline into a phase of stabilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the current developments of the Greek new media arts scene and digital performances, a field of contemporary art which still remains non-contextualized in a particular socio-political environment by art theoreticians in Greece. The present study explores the concept of newness in new media arts and provides an overview and a critical reflection on the role of the non-profit and non-governmental organizations (NPOs/NGOs) in structuring a new media art scene in the post-communist countries of the Balkans. Consequently, the paper seeks to contextualize the Greek scene in this historical background provided by the Balkans' recent past in contemporary new media arts. The study suggests that the current Greek scene is in a precursor phase of what took place a few decades earlier in the northern countries of the Balkans, given the fact that its new media art scene currently passes the threshold of the collaboration with a – yet limited – number of national NPOs/NGOs. Although there is not an immediate political analogy between the Balkans and Greece, nevertheless the financial and political crisis in Greece the past few years has clearly functioned as a condition for comparable politics of art management to be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper considers borders as ubiquitous and pervasive social relations and as sites of struggles, which are shaped through and transformed by social antagonisms and contestations. While much discussion of border struggles focuses on migrants' resistance and various forms of activism, this paper provides insights on the micro-resistance of those who, instead of overtly opposing and contesting the biopolitical power of border regimes, are integral to their operation: asylum caseworkers who filter and select border-crossers. The paper presents data from interviews with self-identified leftist asylum caseworkers in Greece who, through their work, seek to create cracks in the so-called 'Fortress Europe'. By exploring the somewhat unexplored occupational culture of leftist asylum caseworkers, we show how, while trying to resist bordering regimes, leftist asylum caseworkers both critique and reproduce the power relations they seek to subvert. Essentially, we provide valuable insights on the limits of resistance due to the workings of powerful technologies of government – informed by neoliberal managerialism – that are operational in day-to-day life of the asylum process. The paper thus provides a novel exploration of the complex and entangled relation between technologies of power and micro-resistances within border regimes in the significant context of Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The so-called refugee crisis of 2015–2017 has accelerated the diversification of frontline actors involved in the field of migration management. Although this shift has been widely acknowledged, its implications remain unclear. Focusing on the capital cities of Athens and Berlin, this paper examines the views and experiences of individual frontline actors from different organizational sectors. The findings suggest that the intensified inter-organizational collaboration at the street-level leads to the emergence of wider communities of practice, composed of diverse "front-liners". Although the front-liners develop a shared community membership, they simultaneously experience internal conflicts due to enduring sectoral divides and competing institutional logics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a project titled 'Diversity Dolls' which was developed to raise awareness about the benefits of fostering diversity among and within different contexts and audiences. The Diversity Dolls are creative tools to use as a pedagogic approach to training social workers and allied professionals in the area of diversity awareness. The project is a creative, multi-approach, training method that successfully combines the use of dolls with collaborative and creative activities such as story writing, storytelling, dramatisation of written stories and role playing. The project was piloted through two workshops involving 27 professionals from different disciplines in order to prepare themselves for the practical implementation in social services and various prevention centres and schools (primary and secondary schools). This paper presents the 'Diversity Dolls' project and describes its implementation and evaluation in the context of the two pilot workshops in Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the redesign of a network of health providing facilities, as far as geographical location and allocation of service levels are concerned. A novel methodology which integrates system dynamics (SD) and mathematical programming is used. Simulations of SD models of different patients-facilities system configurations provide forecasting scenarios for demand, which are then supplied as input to a stochastic facility location model formulated as a two-stage process. The first stage determines the strategic decisions concerning the range and type of services that every health centre should provide, while the second stage, which is scenario dependent, assigns patients to health centres. The proposed methodology allows experimentation with different system structures to gain a robust understanding of patient flows and facility service dynamics over the entire planning horizon. The methodology was applied in the (re)location of health services in a network of 32 primary care health centres and 13 hospitals in Southern Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary describes how a grassroot-led partnership initiated by members of the organisations World Federation of NeuroRehabilitation and Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists is addressing the marginalisation of people with aphasia, through education and knowledge exchange related to communication partner training of health professionals. A partnership between academics and healthcare professionals across Austria, Denmark, Egypt, Ireland, Greece, India, Serbia and the United Kingdom was established in 2020. Through bimonthly online sessions in 2021–2022 a Danish communication partner training program was introduced while six teams adapted and translated the training and its materials to their local contexts. A collaborative partnership enabled multiple translations of an existing communication partner training program for healthcare professionals working with people with aphasia to support a sustainable delivery model that is linguistic and culturally sensitive. This commentary paper focusses on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17 and also addresses SDG 10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the European credit default swap spreads and their relationship to other financial assets such as stock indices. This study aims at better investigating the European sovereign debt crisis from the beginning of 2010 to the end of 2013. For this purpose, using daily data covering the period from January 2004 to December 2018, first we examine the impact of the sovereign crisis on spread sovereign credit default swaps, using both an asymmetric DCC-MGARCH model and a Copula-based Multivariate GARCH model (C-MGARCH). Then, we estimate the relations between spread sovereign credit default swaps and equity indices. We analyse in particular the lead–lag relationship between these two financial indicators by using a vector autoregressive model. We note a negative correlation between the spreads and stock market indices. There is a significant unidirectional causality from CDS spread changes to stock market indices returns. Our findings show that the CDS spreads have played a leading role in most European countries during this crisis. These results are potentially important because the current pandemic is threatening the economies of European countries, especially Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curriculum policy and enactment in early childhood education is a political phenomenon that plays out in particular cultural contexts. Comparative lenses to curriculum articulate locally constructed and implicit knowledge to external audiences. In doing so, global commonalities and tensions may become explicit. This paper interrogates curricular documents in Greece and New Zealand using selected questions from Joseph's (2011a) heuristic of 'curriculum as culture'. We do this through writing letters to each other that share our local knowledge and experiences and raise further questions. Although New Zealand and Greece are geographically and culturally two worlds apart, their curricular practices share certain discourses and have both been influenced by international trends. We argue that both countries' documents relate to first-order change where the policy document may not, in itself, update or change prior practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive statistical analysis of energy poverty indicators is undertaken in the present paper, in an attempt to further understand the roots and results of the problem in Greece. Specifically, time-series data sets were analysed using various objective indicators, i.e. 10%, 2M, 2M EXP, M/2, M/2 EXP, as well as subjective indicators. Chi-square tests of Independence were performed and binary logistic regression models were developed to predict energy poverty (indicators of 10%, 2M and M/2), based on critical socio-economic factors. The logit model based on the 10% indicator presented the highest performance, reaching 32%. According to this model, the types of households mostly exposed to energy poverty were single families with dependent children and households located in Macedonia, increasing the relative probability of energy poverty by 7.0 and 6.5 times per unit, respectively. The outcomes derived can help policy-makers towards designing more targeted policies for tackling energy poverty in Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scope of the paper is to focus on the main technical discrepancies, that is, engine load factor (LF), specific fuel oil consumption (SFOC), emissions factors (EF), included in the existing methodological approaches for calculating ships' on-board emissions and propose a framework that will allow various stakeholders to conduct accurate air emissions calculations based on publically available operational data. A bottom-up methodology has been employed for the calculation of fuel-energy consumption and air emissions (CO2, SOx, NOx, PM10) in two major ports (Souda and Heraklion) of Crete island in Greece for passenger ferries and cruise ships for the years 2018 and 2019 and for both main and auxiliary engines of all vessels. Due to the lack of publically available technical data, the proposed methodology is based on the estimation of SFOC values through a regression analysis that leads to accurate and reliable results. The basic scenario is based on a detailed estimation of SFOC via a regression analysis applied on engine's technical data, while the alternative approaches employ SFOC estimated through the application of specific adjustment factors and main engine power based on ship's gross tonnage. The basic scenario results are the most accurate data while in most other cases air emissions are underestimated observing significant differences between the different methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In several publications, Doris Santoro has argued that modern schools emphasize success to such a degree that they exclude the possibility of the moral rewards embedded in good teaching. Lack of such rewards, she says, leads to demoralization that is commonly misdiagnosed as burnout. Commenting on her work, Jeff Frank has argued that teachers may need to live with the fact that their work cannot in the foreseeable future be the way it should be. This paper is based on interviews with 15 teachers in Iceland and Greece. They all described boosts and payoffs in terms that fit into Santoro's account of moral rewards. The stories they told us indicate that although the dark clouds of demoralization hang over their workdays, they also enjoy the sunlight of pedagogical freedom and professional autonomy. The reality they experience is a mixture of shadows and light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s and within a context of neoliberal globalization, the welfare state provision in many countries has been affected adversely by austerity and social spending cuts that have intensified since the last global financial crisis of 2008. A country that has been particularly harshly affected is Greece. This paper draws on interviews with public sector social workers in Greece and presents their perceptions of the consequences of austerity/social spending cuts on their work. The research findings of this study suggest that, within the context of austerity, social workers are facing a number of challenges and tensions. The paper argues that these tensions and challenges are local manifestations of the global conditions of neoliberal globalization and as such they have relevance for other countries. Furthermore, it argues that this understanding needs to inform the actions of social workers. It is important for these tensions and challenges to be contextualized within the socio-economic conditions in which they arise in order for austerity and social spending cuts to become a locus of intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, in western countries, the social work profession primarily has come into contact with issues of precarity through the lives of service users. This paper introduces precarity in the social work scholarly literature as a feature of social workers' professional and personal lives. It draws from the findings of a qualitative small study of mental health social workers working in the non-profit sector in Greece. The findings reflect a picture of social workers experiencing precarious conditions as they have become part of the growing phenomenon of the working poor, surviving by loans, experiencing housing insecurity, reproductive insecurity, fuel poverty and unable to pay for their commuting expenses to and from work. Furthermore, the paper maintains that the expansion of the conditions of precarity to university-educated professionals, such as social workers, needs to be understood within an International Political Economy (IPE) perspective in order neoliberal capitalism which brings rising levels of inequalities to become a focus of intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contains my responses to the papers included in the present EJPC issue on the Greek economic crisis. My critical investigation of these papers revealed the presence of either a well-disguised individualism or a naive collectivism in the authors' attempts to examine the function of psychotherapy in the midst of the current economic crisis. I suggest that one should keep alive the tension between the 'ideological' and 'radical' functions of psychotherapy by adopting a dialectical analysis which could combine both psychological and sociological explanations of the current crisis without relinquishing either or reducing one to the other [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper builds on Shift-Share analysis and aims to provide a methodological framework for studying the inequalities of Greek regions in the tourism industry. The method applied to yearly data of overnight stays, both for foreigners, and domestic visitors, for the periods 2003–2008, 2008–2013, 2013–2018, and results showing that disparities among Greek regions are generally very large for the tourism industry. The overall analysis is a useful tool for tourism management and regional policy. The paper advances Shift-Share analysis to be used as a tool of region classification, and it incorporates one-way ANOVA to examine the relationship between the inequalities concerns the policies from the last development law and tourism specialization in Greek regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper places emphasis on an unknown part of the cemetery audience, the 'Other'. It emerged as an audience category, comprising 26 out of 214 survey participants, in a four-month online audience research regarding two Athenian cemeteries. The basic argument for the scope of this research is that in highly contested public spaces such as the Third and the Anastasis cemetery, which reflect some of the most striking abnormalities of Greece's unequal cemetery system, 'others' are systematically constructed and are not co-included in ordered, face-to-face representation. Thus, we emphasise the digital form of this research as more resourceful when exploring silenced voices and invisible presences. We discuss the integral taxonomies of the 'Other' on the basis of the dialectic character of the place. Finally, in order to negotiate otherness as an identity marker, we focus on the opinions of the 'Other' audience regarding spatial practices, attitudes and emotions related to the space of the dead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution argues that policymakers instrumentalise legal ambiguity to provide solutions to crises and achieve their preferences in complex governance systems. It looks at the Eurozone crisis and the introduction of sovereign debt restructuring as part of the policy solution. Despite initial opposition from the European Central Bank (ECB) and European Commission (EC), as well as negative market reactions, Greece's debt was restructured in 2012. The notion of collective action clauses (CACs)—a private contractual term in bond documentation that enables bondholder coordination—was promoted as the credible tool for enabling sovereign debt restructuring. However, this paper argues that the success of CACs is related to how it functions as a boundary object, enabling a shared space of interpretive flexibility that allows policymakers to interpret CACs in terms of their preferences, despite a lack of consensus on the permissibility of future Eurozone sovereign debt restructurings. While enabling cooperation, this interpretive flexibility leads to different iterations of CACs—the Euro-CAC and Greece's retrofit-CAC—which connects EU fiscal policy to monetary policy in a way that induces legal uncertainty as to the viability of future debt restructurings vis-à-vis the ECB's bond-buying programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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