Paschalis Arvanitidis
UNIVERSITY OF THESSALY, GREECE, Economics, Faculty Member
- Paschalis A. Arvanitidis (MEng, MLE, PgC, PhD) is a tenured Assistant Professor of Institutional Economics at the Dep... morePaschalis A. Arvanitidis (MEng, MLE, PgC, PhD) is a tenured Assistant Professor of Institutional Economics at the Department of Economics, University of Thessaly (Greece). He is an engineer (from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece) with postgraduate and doctoral studies in urban economics and property markets (from the University of Aberdeen, UK). His specialization is on institutional economics, urban and regional economics and real estate markets. His recent research interests include institutional economics with emphasis on the analysis of the commons, on social capital and on property as an institution. He holds membership in seven professional organizations and over the last years he has participated in many EU and Greek funded research projects related to regional and urban development. Paschalis Arvanitidis is the author of a research monograph recently publish by Routledge, titled The Economics of Urban Property Markets: An Institutional Economics Analysis, co-author of two other books and he has published a number of research papers in collective volumes and peer reviewed journals, such as Public Choice, Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, Journal of Economic Studies, Contributions to Political Economy and Bulletin of Political Economy.edit
Underground Built Heritage (UBH) is a distinct class of cultural heritage providing a focal point for community pride and engagement to become a springboard for local sustainable development (LSD). This research aims to articulate how... more
Underground Built Heritage (UBH) is a distinct class of cultural heritage providing a focal point for community pride and engagement to become a springboard for local sustainable development (LSD). This research aims to articulate how local UBH and its fringe serve as a facilitator of communal identity to mobilize community care towards social and economic development with less involvement from the state and the market actors. For this purpose, local (and less-conspicuous) cases of UBH are employed in Warsaw, Poland, and Volos, Greece, indicating the power of UBH to connect and engage local communities with places, triggering a momentum for a truly bottom-up action that pays less attention to market considerations and state support. The studied UBH sites have been discussed according to an established common framework, dealing with five main issues: (a) general context and status, (b) history, (c) users and management, (d) ecosystem services, and (e) introduction of the paradigm of ...
Research Interests:
Η εργασία αντλεί στοιχεία από τη σχολή των αυθεντικών θεσμικών οικονομικών για να αναπτύξει ένα ολοκληρωμένο μεθοδολογικό πλαίσιο για την κατανόηση και ανάλυση των "θεσμικών" συνθηκών, διαδικασιών, σχέσεων και δυναμικών μέσω των... more
Η εργασία αντλεί στοιχεία από τη σχολή των αυθεντικών θεσμικών οικονομικών για να αναπτύξει ένα ολοκληρωμένο μεθοδολογικό πλαίσιο για την κατανόηση και ανάλυση των "θεσμικών" συνθηκών, διαδικασιών, σχέσεων και δυναμικών μέσω των οποίων η αγορά ακινήτων λειτουργεί για να (ανα-)παράγει τον "οικοδομημένο χώρο" και να ικανοποιήσει τις ανάγκες για χρήση, επένδυση και οικοδόμηση. Η ανάγκη και η σπουδαιότητα μιας τέτοιας μελέτης έγκειται στο γεγονός ότι οι υπάρχουσες οικονομικές προσεγγίσεις αδυνατούν να παράσχουν μια ολοκληρωμένη ανάλυση της "διαδικασίας της αγοράς", κάτι που τις εμποδίζει να μελετήσουν και να κατανοήσουν πλήρως τον τρόπο διαμόρφωσης των προϊόντων της, αλλά και τη σχέση και επίδρασή της στην οικονομία μιας περιοχής. Η παρούσα προσέγγιση δίνει έμφαση στην ανάλυση όχι τόσο των αποτελεσμάτων της αγοράς (δηλ. το απόθεμα γης και κτιρίων, τις τιμές ενοικίων, τις αξίες ακινήτων, κ.λπ.), αλλά κυρίως των μηχανισμών, των οργανωτικών δομών, των σχέσεων ...
Αν και περισσότεροι από τους μισούς κατοίκους του πλανήτη ζουν σε αστικές περιοχές, δεν υπάρχει ένας κοινά αποδεκτός ορισμός για το τι είναι πόλη και ποια είναι τα όριά της. Οι παραδοσιακές προσεγγίσεις δίνουν έμφαση σε μορφολογικά... more
Αν και περισσότεροι από τους μισούς κατοίκους του πλανήτη ζουν σε αστικές περιοχές, δεν υπάρχει ένας κοινά αποδεκτός ορισμός για το τι είναι πόλη και ποια είναι τα όριά της. Οι παραδοσιακές προσεγγίσεις δίνουν έμφαση σε μορφολογικά χαρακτηριστικά αντιμετωπίζοντας την πόλη ως μια περιοχή με υψηλές πυκνότητες πληθυσμού, απασχόλησης και δομημένων χώρων, ενώ οι πιο σύγχρονες επικεντρώνονται σε λειτουργικά χαρακτηριστικά, βλέποντας την πόλη ως κόμβο ροών κεφαλαίου αγαθών πληροφορίας και ανθρώπων. Σε αυτό το πλαίσιο τα λειτουργικά όρια των αστικών περιοχών εκτείνονται πέραν των διοικητικών και πολεοδομικών συνόρων τους για να συμπεριλάβουν όμορες περιοχές οι οποίες εξαρτώνται οικονομικά από έναν "αστικό πυρήνα" ο οποίος παραδοσιακά χαρακτηρίζεται ως πόλη. Στην παρούσα εργασία γίνεται μια προσπάθεια προσδιορισμού των λειτουργικών αυτών ορίων των πρωτευουσών των νομών της Ελλάδας. Για το σκοπό αυτό η εργασία χρησιμοποιεί δυο τεχνικές. Η πρώτη προσδιορίζει τις λειτουργικές αστικές ...
Τα υπόγεια ύδατα αποτελούν μια κλασική περίπτωση κοινών, των οποίων η υπεράντληση και κακοδιαχείριση θέτει σε κίνδυνο τη γεωργική παραγωγή, τα αγροτικά εισοδήματα, και την περιφερειακή οικονομία της χώρας. Η εργασία χρησιμοποιεί το... more
Τα υπόγεια ύδατα αποτελούν μια κλασική περίπτωση κοινών, των οποίων η υπεράντληση και κακοδιαχείριση θέτει σε κίνδυνο τη γεωργική παραγωγή, τα αγροτικά εισοδήματα, και την περιφερειακή οικονομία της χώρας. Η εργασία χρησιμοποιεί το πλαίσιο ανάλυσης της Elinor Ostrom (Νόμπελ Οικονομικών 2009 για την μελέτη των κοινών) και διερευνά ζητήματα διαχείρισης των υπόγειων υδάτων στην ανατολική Θεσσαλία, μία από τις σημαντικότερες γεωργικές περιοχές της Ελλάδας. Μέσα από επιτόπια έρευνα εξετάζονται, μεταξύ άλλων, η υπάρχουσα κατάσταση στα υπόγεια ύδατα, οι αρδευτικές συνήθειες των αγροτών, τις εκτιμήσεις τους αναφορικά με το πρόβλημα, αλλά και η προοπτική ανάπτυξης εναλλακτικών δομών διαχείρισης, δίνοντας έμφαση σε ζητήματα που αφορούν στην κατανομή των περιουσιακών δικαιωμάτων, το κοινωνικό κεφάλαιο, και τη δυνατότητα αυτό-οργάνωσης με σκοπό την ορθότερη χρήση του πόρου. Η έρευνα αναδεικνύει ένα σημαντικό έλλειμμα εμπιστοσύνης, τόσο μεταξύ των γεωργών όσο και προς την πολιτεία, το οποίο αποτ...
Οι βοσκότοποι αποτελούν ένα κλασικό παράδειγμα κοινών πόρων ανοιχτής πρόσβασης, οι οποίοι στις μέρες μας αντιμετωπίζουν σοβαρά προβλήματα υποβάθμισης και οδηγούνται σταδιακά στην καταστροφή. Αυτό οφείλεται στην έλλειψη ενός αξιόπιστου... more
Οι βοσκότοποι αποτελούν ένα κλασικό παράδειγμα κοινών πόρων ανοιχτής πρόσβασης, οι οποίοι στις μέρες μας αντιμετωπίζουν σοβαρά προβλήματα υποβάθμισης και οδηγούνται σταδιακά στην καταστροφή. Αυτό οφείλεται στην έλλειψη ενός αξιόπιστου πλαισίου θεσμικών ρυθμίσεων (ή 'δομή διακυβέρνησης') που να αποδίδει δικαιώματα οικειοποίησης του πόρου στα ενδιαφερόμενα μέρη και να παρέχει μηχανισμούς ελέγχου και επιβολής των δικαιωμάτων αυτών. Τέτοιες άτυπες δομές διαχείρισης των βοσκοτόπων αποτέλεσαν, με ιδιαίτερη επιτυχία στο παρελθόν, τα τσελιγκάτα. Η παρούσα εργασία έρχεται να ρίξει φως στο θεσμό αυτό, αντλώντας στοιχεία για την οργάνωση και λειτουργία του από πρόσωπα του τσελιγκάτου Πατουλιάς, στην Αργιθέα Καρδίτσας, που έζησαν το θεσμό και τον θυμούνται.
Research Interests:
Abstract- This paper explores the role and importance of the four, close-located, metropolises of south-eastern Europe (Skopje, Sofia, Thessaloniki and Tirana) and proposes a strategy that promotes metropolitan growth and development,... more
Abstract- This paper explores the role and importance of the four, close-located, metropolises of south-eastern Europe (Skopje, Sofia, Thessaloniki and Tirana) and proposes a strategy that promotes metropolitan growth and development, maximizes spread effects to national hinterlands, and advances cross-country cooperation between cities in the area. These metropolitan centres play a significant role within both their respective countries and the whole region, because of their function as political/administrative centres and economic/growth poles and their dominance over the other national urban centres. In addition, their relative proximity permits the development of networks of cooperation and the gradual formation of a polycentric regional structure in south-eastern Europe, which will progressively embrace all the important cities, to increasing regional integration and enhancing economic development.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Computer Science, Technology, Quality of life, Open Data, Nature, and 11 moreDigital Technologies, Urban Space, Mediated Experience, User Engagement, Architecture and Public Spaces, Springer, Public Open Urban Spaces, Common Pool Resource, Cyberpark, Spatialised cultural interaction, and Springer Ebooks
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This paper defines urban open greenspace as an urban commons and empirically explores the possibility of its collective management, using Volos city, one of the major urban areas in Greece, as a case study. A survey of about two thousand... more
This paper defines urban open greenspace as an urban commons and empirically explores the possibility of its collective management, using Volos city, one of the major urban areas in Greece, as a case study. A survey of about two thousand people was conducted for this purpose, which examined, inter alia, peoples perception of the condition and qualities of urban greenspace, their views on a possible reconfiguration of property rights on the resource, and their willingness to collaborate on the self-governance of urban greenspace. Moreover, using ordered logit models, we explore the conditions, values, opinions and characteristics that affect the likelihood of people getting involved in collective management arrangements. The results indicate that users have reservations about such arrangements, which may be attributed to a lack of trust both in each other and in public authorities and institutions. This reveals a considerable deficit in social capital, which is regarded as essential ...
Research Interests:
CyberParks aims at advancing knowledge on the relationship between information and communication technologies and the socially sustainable production and usage of public open spaces. Such research necessitates a solid methodological base.... more
CyberParks aims at advancing knowledge on the relationship between information and communication technologies and the socially sustainable production and usage of public open spaces. Such research necessitates a solid methodological base. Urban ethnography brings together a number of perspectives and approaches to deal with cultural and social aspects of urban life, and as such it is able to provide an integrated methodological framework for the study of technology-public space relationship. The ethnographic approach means, by definition, an in-depth, micro-scale look at the phenomena under concern. However, the technological dimension makes the relationship between people and space more complex. This is not simply because an additional layer of analysis is added; it comes as a result of the emergence of multiple connections between the real and the virtual. From an ethnographic perspective, this requires the researcher to capture, explore and understand the cyber-social phenomena a...
Using the KOF index of globalization that allows for the multidimensionality of the process, the paper sets out to examine the presence of convergence among countries in the three dimensions of the globalization process: economic, social,... more
Using the KOF index of globalization that allows for the multidimensionality of the process, the paper sets out to examine the presence of convergence among countries in the three dimensions of the globalization process: economic, social, political. The sample used in the empirical investigation consists of 111 countries and covers the period 1971–2011. To allow for differences in the speed of convergence, countries were clustered into four income groups: high, upper middle, lower middle and low income in line with the World Bank’s classification. The results yielded and reported herein point to an asymmetric process of convergence with different speeds both between groups as well as in the different dimensions of globalization.
Research Interests:
The new mobile information and communications technologies expand human connectivity to reconfigure public spatialities and to give rise to novel needs for, and practices of, public space usage. The research in this chapter focuses on... more
The new mobile information and communications technologies expand human connectivity to reconfigure public spatialities and to give rise to novel needs for, and practices of, public space usage. The research in this chapter focuses on university students to explore how they perceive and use the public space of university campuses and how they use personal information and communications technologies in it. This allows for an identification of emerging patterns and practices of university public space usage, along with preferable characteristics, designs and ways of management. Data are collected from three case studies, the University College Cork in Cork (Ireland), the University of Thessaly in Volos (Greece), and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Warsaw (Poland), enabling us to spot similarities and differences in the above trends, that would be attributed to culture and local conditions and lifestyles.
Research Interests:
An essential element of a truly democratic society is the degree of civic engagement it exhibits. The paper draws on the relevant literature to pinpoint the notion, dimensions and determinants of civic engagement and it then moves to... more
An essential element of a truly democratic society is the degree of civic engagement it exhibits. The paper draws on the relevant literature to pinpoint the notion, dimensions and determinants of civic engagement and it then moves to explore the issue empirically. In particular, it examines the level and determinants of young people’s civic engagement in Greece, analysing more than 2000 questionnaires which are collected from students of the University of Thessaly. Civic engagement is assessed along three dimensions, civic, electoral and political voice, taking into account whether people actively participate in associations, offer voluntary work to non-governmental organizations, display buttons, signs or stickers, protest, sign petitions and boycott. In addition, the paper explores what drives such a behaviour. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, age, gender, family environment and income, the research finds that sociality (i.e. the intensity of social connections), al...
Research Interests:
Common pool resources frequently give rise to social dilemmas in which individuals have to choose whether they would overexploit the common good to maximise their short-term personal returns or whether they would refrain from doing so for... more
Common pool resources frequently give rise to social dilemmas in which individuals have to choose whether they would overexploit the common good to maximise their short-term personal returns or whether they would refrain from doing so for the sake of the long-term social benefit and the sustainability of the resource. This chapter used a laboratory experiment to explore this in Greece, and to assess whether subjects, by communicating with each other, manage to cooperate and to form institutions that overcome the commons’ tragedy. For this purpose, three experiment sessions were undertaken with 77 final-year undergraduates in economics. The game was played in eight rounds, where every two the rules were slightly different. The study recorded the decisions (and earnings) of the subjects in each round, examining whether, under different communication conditions, they would refrain from personal maximisation towards the sustainable use of the resource. It was found that individuals in c...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Over the past decade, Greece has received a significant number of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers who, due to specific decisions taken at both the EU and the national levels, have been “trapped” in Greece for an indefinite... more
Over the past decade, Greece has received a significant number of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers who, due to specific decisions taken at both the EU and the national levels, have been “trapped” in Greece for an indefinite period. Dealing with this situation was, and still is, a hot issue, with state policies remaining focused on reception and control rather than on integration. Moreover, the spatial allocation of refugees in specific places throughout the country raised further debate, as they often provoked reactions (of substantial political costs), given that different localities tend to exhibit different attitudes and views towards refugees and immigrants. Since these perceptions seem to exert a significant effect on the direction of public debate and state policy there have been a number of nationwide surveys that have sought to shed light on them. These studies certainly advance our understanding on how Greeks in totality perceive those issues, but they also suffer f...
Research Interests:
Many studies have explored the dynamics of immigrant and refugee settlement at the local level, highlighting that it is actually a two-way process: On the one hand, the local socio-political context specifies the conditions for refugee... more
Many studies have explored the dynamics of immigrant and refugee settlement at the local level, highlighting that it is actually a two-way process: On the one hand, the local socio-political context specifies the conditions for refugee inclusion, and on the other, migrant mobility leads to the transformation of localities in various ways. In Greek cities, the social practices of local actors have played an important role in the implementation of the immigration policy, where refugees were perceived as a threat to personal and community security. Yet, new forms of social mobilisation and solidarity by individual citizens and community initiatives have worked to alter these attitudes, mitigating tensions and obstacles in refugee acceptance. The article draws on the Greek experience to explore the role and importance of the local socio-political texture in refugee inclusion, shedding light on how it gave rise to various local initiatives that inform refugee allocation as well as urban ...
Research Interests: Segregation, Political Science, Politics, Institutional Change, Housing Policy, and 15 moreSolidarity, Greece, Accommodation, Mobilities, Refugee, Social Integration, Greek cities, Immigration Policy, Residential segregation, Griechenland, Solidarität, Soziale Integration, Social Inclusion Initiatives, Institutioneller Wandel, and Unterbringung
Purpose This paper aims to draw on Ostrom’s commons theory to analyse the governance regime of Antarctic as a commons institution. Antarctic is a peculiar territorial space on Earth, which due to its unique characteristics constitutes a... more
Purpose This paper aims to draw on Ostrom’s commons theory to analyse the governance regime of Antarctic as a commons institution. Antarctic is a peculiar territorial space on Earth, which due to its unique characteristics constitutes a global common resource that very much resembles outer space resources. On these grounds, the paper highlights successful, and less successful, arrangements developed in the Antarctic commons to be considered as a blueprint or roadmap towards the governance of outer space resources as a commons. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses first, the social-ecological system (SES) framework to outline the characteristics of Antarctic as a commons institution, and second, Ostrom’s design principles to assess the commons institution of Antarctic. The Antarctic commons institution is used next, as an analogy to reflect on the challenges outer space global resource face and the way it could be managed. Findings The paper concludes that Antarctic enjoys a fu...
Research Interests:
Η διαμόρφωση κοινών στους κενούς, ανοιχτούς, αστικούς χώρους αποτελεί μια καινοτόμο λύση για τη βιώσιμη διαχείρισή τους και την αντιμετώπιση των περιβαλλοντικών, οικονομικών και κοινωνικών προκλήσεων που αντιμετωπίζουν οι πόλεις. Η... more
Η διαμόρφωση κοινών στους κενούς, ανοιχτούς, αστικούς χώρους αποτελεί μια καινοτόμο λύση για τη βιώσιμη διαχείρισή τους και την αντιμετώπιση των περιβαλλοντικών, οικονομικών και κοινωνικών προκλήσεων που αντιμετωπίζουν οι πόλεις. Η εργασία εστιάζει στο αυτοδιαχειριζόμενο πάρκο Ναυαρίνου για να συζητήσει το ζήτημα, να αποτιμήσει την εμπειρία του και να προτείνει ενδεχόμενες πολιτικές για επιτυχείς τέτοιες δράσεις. Ειδικότερα υιοθετεί το μεθοδολογικό πλαίσιο SES της Οστρομικής προσέγγισης για να σκιαγραφήσει το Πάρκο ως κοινό και να αναλύσει τα στοιχεία του. Συμπεραίνεται ότι το Πάρκο διαμορφώνει έναν λειτουργικό και αξιόπιστο θεσμό και, ως εκ τούτου, ενδεδειγμένη παρέμβαση αποτελεί η αναγνώριση των συλλογικών δικαιωμάτων και πρακτικών και η διαμόρφωση ενός θεσμικού πλαισίου που να επιτρέπει τέτοια εγχειρήματα να ευδοκιμήσουν.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Civic engagement plays a prominent role in sustaining a strong civil society and a vibrant democracy. However, it is a complex multidimensional concept, taking multiple forms and encompassing a variety of behaviours and actions related to... more
Civic engagement plays a prominent role in sustaining a strong civil society and a vibrant democracy. However, it is a complex multidimensional concept, taking multiple forms and encompassing a variety of behaviours and actions related to both political and social aspects. Drawing on the relevant literature the paper attempts to clarify and pinpoint the notion, specifying its dimensions and mapping out its determinants. Then, focusing on university students, it moves to examine youth civic engagement in Greece, examining the extent of their civic participation and its determinants. After controlling for sociodemographic factors it finds that interpersonal trust, religiosity and political ideology affect students’ likelihood to be civically engaged.
Research Interests:
In the relevant literature, policy convergence is broadly defined as the gradual process through which countries acquire similar traits in terms of one or more policy characteristics such as objectives, inputs, instruments, outputs.... more
In the relevant literature, policy convergence is broadly defined as the gradual process through which countries acquire similar traits in terms of one or more policy characteristics such as objectives, inputs, instruments, outputs. Within the broader policy convergence discourse, this paper empirically investigates the presence of a defence policy convergence in the NATO alliance. Defence spending expressed as a share of GDP represents the resources countries allocate to the production of military capabilities and is adopted as the variable through which the question at hand is examined. In broad terms, results reported herein from β and σ-convergence methodologies as well as from Markov chains, suggest the presence of a defence policy convergence process.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The paper employs Zipf’s law to examine the distribution of military spending across countries in the world over the period 1988–2012. Military spending can cautiously be treated as a crude and distant proxy for military capacity and... more
The paper employs Zipf’s law to examine the distribution of military spending across countries in the world over the period 1988–2012. Military spending can cautiously be treated as a crude and distant proxy for military capacity and strength, and hence states’ hard power. The paper finds that the first-in-rank country (the USA) consistently spends more on the production of military capabilities than what is projected by Zipf’s law to correspond to a balanced international structure. This, tentatively interpreted, implies the use of military strength (and the concomitant costs for acquiring it) as a tool of hegemonic status consolidation, perhaps vis-à-vis other rising global players. In turn, the countries at the lower end of the rank, although they have overall increased their military outlays, seem to spend less on defence than this is anticipated by the law. This finding may be pointing to free-riding on the military strength of allies and other major powers.
Research Interests:
Despite the increasing interest in institutional economics, little published research has systematically explored the methodological nuances of institutionalism. This paper reviews the variety of approaches within the three prominent... more
Despite the increasing interest in institutional economics, little published research has systematically explored the methodological nuances of institutionalism. This paper reviews the variety of approaches within the three prominent institutionalist strands to shed light on their conceptual bases and philosophical underpinnings. It finds that institutionalist research has been informed by a number of philosophical and analytical standpoints emphasising institutions as important determinants of socioeconomic organisation. In that sense the institutional paradigm is seen as a 'frame' embracing a variety of approaches and conceptual tools that are brought together on the basis of their merit in examining the institutional environment. Which specific theories, methodologies and practices are to be employed each time depends on the particular research questions and the task in hand.
Research Interests:
One of the most refreshing philosophical perspectives introduced to economics and to social sciences in general over the last twenty years or so is this of Critical Realism (CR). It presents a new way of seeing socioeconomic reality, and,... more
One of the most refreshing philosophical perspectives introduced to economics and to social sciences in general over the last twenty years or so is this of Critical Realism (CR). It presents a new way of seeing socioeconomic reality, and, on these grounds, it advances discussion in philosophy and methodology, providing guidelines of how modes of reasoning and research might be fashioned for analysis within all sciences, social and natural. The current paper aims at presenting the fundamentals of the philosophy of CR. In particular, it delineates the key ontological and epistemological premises of CR together with an outline of the methodological implications for economics.
The commons are natural or man-made resources that due to non-excludability and subtractability face serious risks of overexploitation, mismanagement, or even destruction, the so-called “tragedy of the commons”. Groundwater is a typical... more
The commons are natural or man-made resources that due to non-excludability and subtractability face serious risks of overexploitation, mismanagement, or even destruction, the so-called “tragedy of the commons”. Groundwater is a typical example of such a resource. Drawing on the framework developed by the 2009 Nobel laureate Elinor Ostrom, this research explores issues of collective management of groundwater using Larissa area, one of the most important agricultural areas of Greece, as a case study. More specifically, the paper assesses empirically the possibility of user-based management of groundwater used for irrigation purposes. This is done through a survey which explores, inter alia, the views of local stakeholders on the intensity of the water problem, the irrigation practices, and the existence of trust-based social relations between the farmers, which are seen as essential for the development of successful, long-enduring, user-based governance solutions. The research finds that farmers are rather reserved toward the possibility of groundwater self-management, which may be due to lack of trust both among them and toward the other players in the field. On these grounds, it seems that the most appropriate solution would be to create an independent coordinative body with multiple responsibilities and powers.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This paper reviews the conventional literature on urban change, to map out knowledge boundaries and to set up a research agenda. It starts by outlining the processes and emerging patterns of urban socioeconomic reorganisation, identified... more
This paper reviews the conventional literature on urban change, to map out knowledge boundaries and to set up a research agenda. It starts by outlining the processes and emerging patterns of urban socioeconomic reorganisation, identified by researchers independent of their methodological stance. This essentially descriptive analysis is put under scrutiny on the basis of the theoretical interpretations available by mainstream economics. This discussion provides a range of theoretical insights into the fundamental changes cities have undergone and the factors that affect economic development, as well as an evaluation of the explanatory frameworks available in conventional urban economic analysis.
Research Interests:
Residential Characteristics of Armed-Forces Personnel and the Urban Economy: Evidence from a Medium Sized City in GreeceThe paper explores the locational and residential decisions of Greek military households. To achieve this, primary... more
Residential Characteristics of Armed-Forces Personnel and the Urban Economy: Evidence from a Medium Sized City in GreeceThe paper explores the locational and residential decisions of Greek military households. To achieve this, primary data were collected by means of a questionnaire survey addressed to military personnel located in Volos, a medium-sized Greek city in the greater area of which a number of major military facilities are located. The study starts by examining the residential distribution of military households to consider whether clustering or dispersion is evident. Then, an attempt is made to explain the observed pattern with reference to conventional urban economics' determinants of location choice or to other factors related to the social or professional characteristics of the group. Such analysis enables us to draw some preliminary conclusions on the potential effects military facilities have on both the urban spatial structure and the housing market.
Research Interests:
This paper examines whether or not there is convergence in defence burdens across the world. To this effect, σ-convergence and β-convergence methodologies are employed. The sample consists of 128 countries and covers the period 1988–2008.... more
This paper examines whether or not there is convergence in defence burdens across the world. To this effect, σ-convergence and β-convergence methodologies are employed. The sample consists of 128 countries and covers the period 1988–2008. Initial findings reported herein point to a process of convergence in defence burdens possibly reflecting the emergence of defence policies that share similar characteristics at least in terms of the allocation of resources.
Research Interests:
Drawing on classical Athens the paper outlines the qualities and workings of direct democracy to provide a simple model of public choice in policy-making. In particular, the paper conceptualizes Athenian democracy as an institution which... more
Drawing on classical Athens the paper outlines the qualities and workings of direct democracy to provide a simple model of public choice in policy-making. In particular, the paper conceptualizes Athenian democracy as an institution which is founded on two pillars: public discourse and public ideology. The former refers to the reciprocal communication between citizens enabling, inter alia, the integration of diverse knowledge and the coordination of collective action. The latter refers to a pragmatic set of social values (i.e. emerged dialectically as a result of ongoing collective experiences) enabling to reduce diversity of thought and behavior and with it many of the collective-action problems that communities encounter. On the basis of these, direct democracy as an institution is able to internalize the costs and benefits of decision-making, to actively engage citizens in the political and policy-making process, to enhance the community’s knowledge base, and to deliver cooperative and innovative solutions to matters of public concern.
Research Interests:
Over the last two decades, Greece has seen a substantial influx of economic immigrants giving rise to a number of studies examining the social, economic and spatial implications immigration has for the country. In terms of the spatial... more
Over the last two decades, Greece has seen a substantial influx of economic immigrants giving rise to a number of studies examining the social, economic and spatial implications immigration has for the country. In terms of the spatial impact, the observed tendency is immigrants to move primarily into metropolitan areas, which offer employment opportunities and anonymity. However, very little is known with regard to the specific, intra-urban, locations immigrants choose for their residence and the factors that affect such decisions. The current study attempts to shed light on the above issues, analysing the spatial distribution of economic immigrants within the metropolitan area of Athens, their mobility patterns and the resultant metropolitan structure. Our findings indicate a slight preference for central areas, but, over the time, the general dispersion of such immigrants to peripheral locations. On these grounds, spatial segregation, to the formation of clear ethnic enclaves, seems less plausible.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Summary Over the last few decades the developed world has seen a substantial influx of immigrant population giving rise to a number of studies examining the social, economic and spatial implications immigration has for the countries.... more
Summary Over the last few decades the developed world has seen a substantial influx of immigrant population giving rise to a number of studies examining the social, economic and spatial implications immigration has for the countries. However, despite the growing research interest, there are still many questions which require closer investigation. To start with, existing research has focused its analysis
Research Interests:
The chapter defines public open space as a commons and explores innovative ways for its management and sustainable development through the use of new information and communication technologies. It argues that hybrid conglomerates of space... more
The chapter defines public open space as a commons and explores innovative ways for its management and sustainable development through the use of new information and communication technologies. It argues that hybrid conglomerates of space and technological interfaces provide this possibility. Section 2 defines common pool resources and discusses issues of its manage- ment, before it moves to identify public open space as a commons and to outline key directives for governance. Section 3 outlines the new ICT and considers practices and technologies that can be used in order to enhance community identity, social interaction and user engagement in the governance of the public open space as a commons. Finally, the last section concludes this chapter with some remarks on the conditions under which the hybrid of a public open space with ICT features could be approached as yet another kind of ‘soft’ type of common pool resource.