Looking for Ariadne’s Thread:Greece’s Public Service Workforce in Transition

According to Greek mythology, Theseus, a young Athenian, volunteered to slay the Minotaur creature housed within the Cretan labyrinth. Worried he would be hurt and unable to find his way out, Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, gave Theseus a ball of thread so he would be able to retrace his path out of the labyrinth. Today, we refer to “Ariadne’s Thread” as finding the common thread or solution to a complex problem.

Famously known as the birthplace of Western civilization and the “cradle of democracy,” Greece provides the setting for powerful and meaningful myths. It is against this backdrop that Greek public administration finds itself today. But, its public service workforce remains trapped within a labyrinth of its own making, with no Theseus to come to the rescue and no Ariadne to help guide the way out. Much like the Cretan labyrinth, there appear to be multiple ways of proceeding and no simple, straightforward solution. All available routes must be examined.

Initially published in PA Times.