Since 2017, the A.G. Leventis Foundation has been generously supporting the Greek and European Economy Observatory at ELIAMEP. In 2017-2023, the Foundation funded in-depth studies on topical issues of European Political Economy of particular Greek interest, also by sponsoring a research post, first at junior level (2017-2020) then at post-doctoral level (2020-2023).
Since October 2023, the Foundation has been the sole source of core funding for the Greek and European Economy Observatory at ELIAMEP. The Head of the Observatory now holds the title of A.G. Leventis Research Chair. Part of the funding goes to commissioning and producing European Economy Policy Briefs, on the economic policy issues that will shape the future of the EU.
From October 2017 to September 2021, the programme was coordinated by Dimitris Katsikas, now Assistant Professor of International and European Political Economy and Director of the Research Centre for Economic Policy, Governance and Development at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
From October 2021 onwards, the programme coordinator is Manos Matsaganis, Professor of Public Finance at Polytechnic University of Milan, and Head of the Greek and European Economy Observatory at ELIAMEP.
2023-2024
Since October 2023, the commissioning, production, and dissemination of European Economy Policy Briefs became the core activity of Greek and European Economy Observatory at ELIAMEP. The new series was launched in December 2023, with the aim of shaping the policy debate on topical issues facing the economy in Europe and Greece.
To maximise impact, the publication of each European Economy Policy Brief is followed by (i) a closed seminar involving policy makers, independent experts, and the press (under Chatham House rules), (ii) an online roundtable discussion, in English, aimed at a broader audience, and (iii) a podcast targeted to a Greek audience. Four policy briefs are produced each year. The programme is reviewed annually.
ELIAMEP European Economy Policy Brief #1
The first policy brief launching the series, titled “The Green Transformation of Europe: challenges, opportunities, and the way forward”, delved into the European Green Deal and the implications for environmental policy in the EU and in Greece. It was published in December 2023, coinciding with the COP28 in Dubai. The policy brief, available here, was co-authored by Phoebe Koundouri, Konstantinos Dellis, and Angelos Plataniotis, all based at School of Economics and ReSEES Research Laboratory, Athens University of Economics and Business. To accompany the publication of the policy brief, a closed seminar was organized in February 2024, in which a frank discussion of environmental policy issues took place among selected invitees. That was followed by an online roundtable discussion with Emmanuella Doussis, Phoebe Koundouri, Nikos Matzaris, Alessio Terzi and moderated by Manos Matsaganis, which took place on March 27th 2024. Lastly, lead author Phoebe Koundouri discussed with Odin Linardatou the main policy issues raised in the policy brief on a podcast, released on February 9th 2024.
ELIAMEP European Economy Policy Brief #2
The second policy brief, titled “Leveraging EU industrial policy to reshape Greece’s productive model”, available here, was published in April 2024. It concerned the search of strategic autonomy and the creation of a new industrial policy in Europe, and the implications for Greece. The brief was written by Aggelos Tsakanikas and Petros Dimas, both at the Laboratory of Industrial and Energy Economics, National Technical University of Athens. A closed seminar was held in April of 2024 to discuss the policy brief’s findings and the pressing questions regarding industrial policy. An online roundtable discussion also took place on May 28th 2024, whose panel encompassed the authors Aggelos Tsakanikas and Petros Dimas, as well as Nicholas Vonortas, Reinhilde Veugelers, and Manos Matsaganis. Shortly later, the authors went on a podcast to discuss the issues raised by the policy brief.
ELIAMEP European Economy Policy Brief #3
The third policy brief, titled “European Migration Policy: Recent Developments and the Way Forward – Evgenia Vella”, came out in June 2024, during the run up to the European Parliament elections. The policy brief tackled European migration policy from an economic perspective and implications for policy in the EU and Greece, through the lens of recent political and geopolitical developments. The policy brief was penned by Evgenia Vella, Assistant Professor at the Athens University of Economics and Business and Research Fellow at ELIAMEP. As with previous policy briefs, its publication was followed by a closed seminar, organized in June of 2024, fostering dialogue on migration policy issues with representatives of government, social partners, NGOS, international organisations, and independent experts. A podcast, on which the author will discuss migration issues with Odin Linardatou, and an online roundtable discussion on EU migration policy are planned for September 2024.
ELIAMEP European Economy Policy Brief #4
The fourth policy brief, scheduled for early autumn of 2024, will address the reform of the EU Common Agricultural Policy, the recent relative developments, in conjunction with farmer protests around Europe, and the implications for food security, the EU budget, and the Green Transition. It will be authored by Tassos Haniotis, formerly Director of Strategy, Simplification & Policy Analysis at the Directorate General for Agriculture & Rural Development, European Commission, and currently Guest Senior Research Scholar with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria.
2022 – 2023
Chrysa Papalexatou was A.G. Leventis Research Chair Postdoctoral Research Fellow at ELIAMEP in 2022-2023. Dr. Papalexatou held a PhD from the London School of Economics, and a master’s degree from the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki. Her research focused on European Political Economy, on issues of economic inequality, monetary integration, banking, housing, and public policy. During her A.G. Leventis Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Dr. Papalexatou published press articles and research notes on a variety of topics and worked on a policy paper exploring the provision of childcare services in Greece and the EU. Dr. Papalexatou is a Teaching Fellow at University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, a Visiting Fellow at LSE European Institute, and a Research Fellow at ELIAMEP.
2021 – 2022
The position of A.G. Leventis Research Chair Postdoctoral Research Fellow at ELIAMEP in 2021-2022 was awarded to Georgios Manalis. Dr. Manalis held a PhD from the European University Institute in Florence, and post-graduate degrees from the London School of Economics, and the Athens University of Economics and Business. He specialized in macroeconomic analysis and quantitative methods. His research focused on the impact of institutional policy changes on the economy of developing countries, as well as issues pertaining to the political economy of the Euro area. During his A.G. Leventis Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Dr. Manalis explored among many other things the implications of Greece’s National Recovery & Resilience Plan for sustainable and inclusive growth. Dr. Manalis is currently an Early Career Researcher in Economics at University of Edinburgh (UK), and a Research Fellow at ELIAMEP.
2020 – 2021
In 2020-2021, in line with the Chair’s new mode of operation, a postdoctoral researcher was selected following a public call of interest. Apostolos Fasianos became the first A.G. Leventis Research Chair Postdoctoral Research Fellow at ELIAMEP. Dr. Fasianos held a PhD in Economics from the University of Limerick, an MSc in Economic Development from the University of Glasgow, and an MPhil in Economic Theory from the University of Athens. He had previously worked as an economist at the Council of Economic Advisors of the Hellenic Ministry of Finance, and the Irish Economic Analysis Division at the Central Bank of Ireland. He had also been involved in research projects run by the Bank of England and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand on topics related to household finances and macroeconomics. During his A.G. Leventis Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Dr. Fasianos explored the relationship between monetary policy and income inequality using a cross-country panel approach. Dr. Fasianos is currently a Lecturer of Economics at Brunel University (UK), and a Research Fellow at ELIAMEP.
2019 – 2020
In 2019-2020, the Chair funded a study assigned to Professors Margarita Katsimi, Sarantis Kalivitis and Thomas Moutos, from the Department of International and European Economic Studies, Athens University of Business and Economics, titled “Extroversion, Business Exports and the Wage Environment in the Greek Economy”. Theoni Kakoulidou, Ph.D. candidate at the Department of International and European Economic Studies of the Athens University of Economics and Business, also co-authored the study. The study (available here) aimed to provide a thorough analysis of the competitiveness of Greek firms, using data from exporting companies. Emphasis was placed on the factors shaping their behaviour, using as a case study the decrease of the minimum wage in February 2012. The Research Assistant position under the Chair was filled by Dimitra Tsigkou, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The title of Ms. Tsigkou’s Ph.D. Thesis was “The Role of Germany and France in the Euro Area Reform: A Comparative Political Economy Approach.”
2018-2019
In 2018-2019, the Chair funded the study “Structural changes in fiscal policy during the crisis: Institutional framework and economic results”, coordinated by Panos Tsakloglou, Professor at the Department of International and European Economic Studies, Athens University of Economics and Business. The report, available in greek here, was co-authored by Dr. Marianthi Anastasatou, an economist at the Bank of Greece. The topic was primarily chosen due to the central position of fiscal policy in the management of the crisis not only in Greece but also in the Eurozone generally. The critical role of fiscal policy in the expected recovery of the Greek economy and the country’s transition in the post-memorandum era make this a highly important and topical issue.
From 1 October 2018 to 15 February 2019, the position of the Junior Researcher was originally filled by Zisis Manouzas, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The title of Mr. Manouza’s Ph.D. Thesis was “Social Tolerance of Fiscal Austerity in the countries of the Eurozone: Explanations of Political Economy”.
On 15 February 2019, Pery Bazoti took over as Junior Researcher. Ms Bazoti had a first degree in International, European and Regional Studies from Panteion University, and a post-graduate degree in European Economic Policy from the Athens University of Economics and Business. Moreover, she had research experience on programmes regarding the Greek and Eurozone Crises. During this period, Ms. Bazoti authored a research paper titled “Education and wage inequalities in Greece: access to higher education and its effects on income”, available here.
2017-2018
In 2017-2018, the Chair funded a study titled “Reforms in Public Administration during the crisis: Review, Description, Evaluation”, which is available in its full length in greek here. The study documented the Public Administration reforms promoted by the Economic Adjustment Programmes. The aim of the study was to evaluate the implementation and impact of the reforms that have been implemented, as well as to assess the overall progress in Public Administration, including the obstacles that came up during the implementation effort. The research was coordinated by Professor Calliope Spanou, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The other members of the research team were Dr. Christos Ioannou, Dr. Manto Lampropoulou, Dr. Evangelia Balla, and Professor Dimitrios Oikonomou. An Executive Summary of the main findings and conclusions of the report here.
Over the same period, the Junior Researcher position was filled by Vangelis Arvanitis, Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Economics of the University of Thessaly. Mr. Arvaniti’s Ph.D. thesis was titled “Transparency of Central Banks and monetary policy transmission mechanisms.” As part of his duties, Mr. Arvanitis authored a research paper entitled “The impact of the European Central Bank’s monetary policy on European countries’ loan structure: the housing channel”, available in greek here.
