Dimitris BourikosPolitical Scientist, Social Worker, PhD. Candidate at the National and Kapodistrian

University of Athens

Dimitri A. SotiropoulosAssociate Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science and Public

Administration, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Social Solidarity in Greece Under the Economic Crisis

University of Athens, 12 January 2015

Outline of the Power Point Presentation

• FIRST PART: AN OVERVIEW OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND SOCIAL PROTECTION IN GREECE

• Formal and informal civil society before the onset of the crisis; the Greek social protection system before the onset of the economic crisis

• Information on NGOs and social solidarity initiatives, based on secondary sources (sample surveys; the press and website sources)

• A quick overview of the social situation in Greece today• What we know about the voluntary sector in Greece (brief overview)• SECOND PART: THE FIELD WORK ON SOCIAL SOLIDARITY

ORGANIZATIONS IN GREECE• Overview of formal social solidarity organizations in Greece• Overview of informal social solidarity organizations in Greece• Results of the field work, employing questionnaires in 2013 in Athens• Conclusions: differences between formal and informal social solidarity

* The National Centre for Social Solidarity, a branch of the Ministry of Employment

A quick overview of the current social situation

RecessionFor six years in a row (2008-2013)

Cumulative GDP decline by 25%

Unemployment

Unemployment rate: 27.5%

Youth unemployment (15-24 years old): 61.45%

Percentage of unemployed receiving unemployment benefits: 17.3%

Poverty-Social Exclusion

23.1% of the population at risk of poverty

26.9% of children aged 0-17 and 45.8% of unemployed are at risk of poverty

19.5% of the population faces problem of severe material deprivation

Growing number of uninsured persons

What do we know about volunteering in contemporary Greece?

• Eurobarometer surveys: decline of volunteers among the general population of Greece, from 22% in 2004 to 14% in 2011

• Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) – 2005 survey: 19% of citizens participated in informal and 10% in formal voluntary activities

• General Secretariat for Youth (2011 survey): 47% of nationwide sample of respondents had participated in voluntary activities and movements

• Organizations active in social welfare (2008): 531 state organisations and NGOs -Registry of ΕΚΚΑ* (2012): 545 NGOs officially registered

* The National Centre for Social Solidarity, a branch of the Ministry of Employment

Τhe “profile” of formal social solidarity organisations in Greece

Τhe “profile” of informal social solidarity organizations in Greece

Pilot study of formal and informal social solidarity organizations and associations in Greece (2013)

• 35 organizations/associations included in this pilot survey: 27 formal and 8 informal

• Research technique: personal interviews with representatives of organizations, based on face-to-face, personal interviews

• Where and when the pilot study took place: Athens, Spring & Autumn 2013

• ELIAMEP interviewers: Konstantina Karydis, Chara Georgiadou, Kyriakos Filinis

• Conceptual distinction between formal and informal organizations/associations

Results of the Pilot Study

The majority of formal organisations (19/27) of our sample have been registered in the Registry of Social Solidarity NGOs of the National Centre for Social Solidarity (EKKA)

Advantages of inclusion in the Registry Disadvantages of inclusion in the Registry

• Receiving sponsorships & donations• Passport to participate in consultations

with government agencies• Collaboration with other organizations • Necessary prerequisite for the

eligibility of organisations if and when government grants are available.

• Lack of tangible financial benefits• Bureaucratic character of the Registry• Lack of monitoring system and

transparency of registered NGOs

Results of the Pilot Study

Results of the Pilot Study

Funding Sources

• State funding primarily by the Ministries of Labour, Health or Education; financial support by the Church; members’ contributions/ fees; private donations; EU grants and/or programmes; revenues from fund-raising events; support from not-for-profit foundations.

• More specifically:

• Religious faith organizations said that the Church is their basic financier

• Informal organizations do not receive funds, but rely on voluntary work of their members

• Formal organizations in the field of medical care and people with disabilities claim that government and EU co-funded programmes are their main sources of funding

Results of the Pilot Study

Formal organisations Informal organisations

...said that volunteers contribute significantly to covering their essential needs

...reported large number of volunteers

...relied heavily on professional staff

...organisations which reported higher numbers of volunteers were active in the fields of child protection, healthcare and social services

...considered volunteers as the «essence of their existence»

...reported small number of volunteers

...but relied heavily on those committed volunteers

...organisations which reported higher numbers of volunteers were active in the fields of healthcare and in exchange networks/ timebanks

Results of the Pilot Study

Collaboration with the State Formal organisations• Regarding their collaboration with the State, more organisations have negative rather than

positive opinions• Organisations related to religious faith and not-for-profit foundations were more positive

about state authorities; they expressed their willingness and need to cooperate with the State• Organisations wish to cooperate with the State but under specific terms and within a pre-

determined institutional framework• Organisations prefer collaborating with local authorities rather than central government

Informal organisations• Clearly negative regarding cooperation with the State, although they accept specific forms of

collaboration with local authorities

Results of the Pilot Study

Collaboration with the private sector

Formal organisations have a positive stance towards volunteers and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Formal organisations focus on:

• Sponsorships in kind (goods provided by private enterprises)• Sponsorships in services offered by private enterprises• Donations• Funding from enterprises • Collaboration with enterprises in civic activities

Informal organisations are negative about collaboration with private enterprises. Informal organisations focus on the following:

• Inadequacy of the private sector in offering efficient/adequate help or resources• Difficulties encountered by private enterprises due to the economic crisis• Unwillingness of the private sector to cover operational costs of social solidarity organizations• They do not wish for any connection to private sector because of its lack of transparency• They do not accept the logic of profit-making

Results of the Pilot StudyThe effects of the economic crisis on social solidarity organisations

ResourcesFormal organisations:• Decline in resources due to economic constraints, both in private and public sectors• Shift of the balance between private and public sectors with regard to the funding channelled to social solidarity

organisations (in favour of the private sector)• Decline in the size and number of small cash contributions which organisations used to receive

Voluntary workThe majority of organisations (formal and informal) reported a significant rise in the number of volunteers and

voluntary work (volunteers helping the young, the unemployed, people in need, migrants). Why there is such a rise? Responses we have obtrained to this question, include:

...the rise in unemployment among the educated youth, normally staffing such organisations

...need of the unemployed to find some kind of job/occupation, even if not compensated

...need to tackle loneliness and social isolation of unemployed

...mobilisation by people at risk of poverty/ economic inability. They take their situation in their hands. They participate in voluntary networks/ solidarity networks.

Results of the Pilot Study

The impact of the economic crisis on the priorities and target groups of social solidarity organisations

Notably, informal organisations are themselves one of the results of the crisis

After the onset of the economic crisis:• Social solidarity organisations extended the period of support to vulnerable social groups• Significant increase in the number of Greeks, normally covered by health insurance, who now

turned to social solidarity organisations for help, especially concerning health-checks/ medical examinations

• Significant increase in the number of people from households of the middle socioeconomic class who turned to social solidarity organisations for help

• Significant expansion of the socioeconomic category of the ‘poor’, now including the «working poor»; also indebted households seem to fall into this category

Main differences between Formal and Informal Social Solidarity Organisations

Formal organisations rate the response of state authorities to the economic crisis as inadequate or even inexistent.Informal organisations stress the need to promote alternative models of production, economy and exchange of goods and services.

Formal organisations focus more on specific social problems and social groups in need (e.g., children, people with disabilities, etc.)Informal organisations address the wider population. They focus more on the social situation in general, as well as on the need for political action.

Formal organisations emphasize more the deficits of the State which cannot help satisfy the emerging social needs. They are in favour of the welfare state, but underline the structural deficiencies of the welfare state.

Informal organisations place particular emphasis on the value-aspects and politico-ideological manifestations of the crisis; they are not necessarily aiming to complement or help the welfare state function better.