Implementing the Guaranteed Minimum Income in Greece: An evaluation from the perspective of social services professionals
Abstract
In contrast to the growing literature on the effectiveness of Minimum Income Schemes (MIS) in alleviating poverty and social exclusion, evaluation studies on the Greek case are scarce. This study explores the effectiveness of the Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI) in Greece concerning three dimensions: a) adequacy, b) accessibility, and c) enabling. To this end it draws on the findings of 250 quantitative questionnaires completed by social services professionals responsible for its delivery at the local level throughout the country. The findings reveal a picture of ineffectiveness of the Greek GMI in addressing poverty and social exclusion.
The informants present a rather pragmatic view, that GMI is measure that is “better than nothing” in turbulent times. In terms of accessibility, they are quite skeptical regarding several issues, such as the reliability of applications’ assessment, its fair distribution, the extent to which prospective beneficiaries can easily get it as well as the transparency of eligibility criteria. In addition, they express a more discouraging view regarding GMI’s ability in reducing both undeclared work and unemployment and they think that it doesn't give incentives to work.Future research should expand the study of theeffectiveness of GMI to the actual (or potential)
beneficiaries of the Program.
Article Details
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Feronas, A., & Spyridakis, M. (2024). Implementing the Guaranteed Minimum Income in Greece: An evaluation from the perspective of social services professionals. Social Cohesion and Development, 19(1), 5–23. https://doi.org/10.12681/scad.39739
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