The Greek exception

An interesting point by Andreas Andrianopoulos (in Greek), motivated by an article of Gideon Rachman in his blog (FT), on the Greek exception. As Rachman suggests that for nations, small is beautiful. Meaning that today, for a country to be small (both in size and population) is an advantage for prosperity, stability and rapid development. Most of the lists of the top ten countries indexing stability, prosperity, development, social protection are dominated by small countries. This is due to the fact that small countries are more flexible, have greater national and racial homogeneity and can direct their societies towards new and more creative objectives more easily avoiding ineffective practices of the past.

Andrianopoulos claims that despite the fact that the above tends to be the rule, Greece seems to be an exception. I have tried to capture the main idea in English as follows:

“A static society with weak leadership incapable of introducing revolutionary initiatives that runs back to convenient nationalism ideas when perceived as needed. A society lacking of planning, envisioning and dreaming of the future. We turn our advantages into disadvantages. Our small size and our national homogeneity are undermined by the constant desire for fame and wealth of each mediocre.

Altogether the problems indicate a country with a future full of uncertainty. Examples like the current discussion about the insurance system (which hasn’t yet been presented), while indifference characterizes the concerns about education. The examples including OTE (limit on the number of stocks ones is allowed to buy!!!!!), the Public Power Corporation, Olympic airlines and the insurance chaos, are signs of leadership in confusion, labor unions and media in crisis of existence and a society incapable of rejecting what is not useful by selecting people and strategies that will point towards a bright future.

Today, small countries are moving forward with the Greek exception that tries to move forward being stuck looking into the past.”

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New Media 2007

“This may have been Facebook’s year. But so far, it is still Google’s century”, Jeff Jarvis.

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thanks akyro.net

World Investment Report 2007

As a graduate of the American College of Greece (class ‘05), I was happy to be informed that the school is going to host a press conference at which the World Investment Report 2007 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development will be released to the media and participants. The press conference will take place on October 16, 2007, 11:00 a.m. at the American College of Greece, (Deree College main campus in Athens) Upper Level Library. More info can be found here.