Article
Civil Liberties and Rights, Equality and the Quality of Democracy in Greece
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies
(2017)
Abstract
This article assesses the content quality of democracy in Greece. Theoretically, the quality of democracy is assessed in three different but interrelated dimensions: procedure, result, and content. Procedure is about the character and workings of the environment in which governance takes place; result refers to the overall quality of government performance and citizen satisfaction; and content involves the quality of the substance of governance, and it is gauged through two variables: freedom and equality. Freedom involves political, civil, and socioeconomic rights, including speech, property, and social protection. Equality is about prohibition of discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, race, political orientation, or other extraneous conditions. Using various indices as well as more substantive information, the essay assesses the content dimension of the quality of democracy in post-1974 Greece. The study concludes that the country’s quality of democracy is fair, but is in need of improvement.
Disciplines
Publication Date
January 13, 2017
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/19448953.2017.1267364
Citation Information
Constantine P. Danopoulos. "Civil Liberties and Rights, Equality and the Quality of Democracy in Greece" Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies Vol. 19 Iss. 3 (2017) p. 225 - 242 ISSN: 1944-8953 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/constantine_danopoulos/93/