Articles
Here you will find articles that have been published in the press (electronic and printed) by INERP members and/or are related to current events or to INERP's actions and work, as well as original opinion articles about INERP's research interests.
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- Written by: Alex Pattakos
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Citizens in large numbers today seem not only to distrust but also resent their government. “They have become convinced that government, especially the federal government, is wasteful, oppressive, and insensitive, and people have come to doubt that public officials act in the public interest or in accordance with commonly held values.”
This statement was part of the opening chapter to a book, Managing the Public’s Business, published in 1981 following the election of Ronald Reagan as President of the United States. The book’s author, Laurence E. Lynn, was at the time a professor of public policy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and was a former Assistant Secretary in both the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (now the Department of Health and Human Services) and the Department of the Interior.
Support of government at subnational levels is also on a path of erosion as citizens increasingly question the role and scope of public sector intervention, the unwillingness to cross the chasm of partisan differences to craft meaningful public policies, the uncontrollable pace in government expenditures, and the effectiveness and efficiency of public service delivery.
Let me suggest that “managing the public’s business” has never been as important as it is now. Political realignments, increasing global competitiveness and interdependencies, emerging developments in technologies, and the uncertain geopolitical milieu all contribute to the need to carefully examine the public’s return on investment in government affairs. Indeed, the very nature of the public’s business, by definition, establishes it as the biggest business in the public marketplace.
A nation that destroys its soul, destroys itself.
The United States, as well as many other nations around the globe, suffers not so much from what Lynn called a “crisis of competence” but a crisis of spirit. In this regard, it is the essence of government at its most fundamental level that is at risk, not the capacity of elected, appointed, and career public officials to discharge their responsibilities effectively and efficiently. Only by reconnecting with its “soul” can good government be exposed and the challenges of guarding the public’s interest be accommodated with integrity and dignity.
To be sure, this will require a different paradigm than that which currently guides the public sector, especially at the national level. For one, it will require that we collectively raise our consciousness and seek to discover common ground about the purpose and deeper meaning of government.
In this vein, Jim Wallis, the founding editor of Sojourners magazine, observed that “we can find common ground only by moving to higher ground.” In other words, constituency-based politics, with its factional interests, will not lead us to this higher ground. Politics has been reduced to the selfish struggle for power among competing — and often polarizing — interests and groups, instead of a process of searching for the common good. Importantly, this reductionist view of politics will not allow government to realize its full potential.
Finding the point of balance between the common good and individual rights is no simple matter. In fact, there is no such point. We live in an “age of paradox,” observed the late Irish author and philosopher, Charles Handy, and finding balance is a formidable, ongoing challenge. This is especially so for the government sector where the lack of order and clear-cut policy direction are commonplace.
It is also clear that government tends to elicit deeply seated value propositions about the boundaries between the public and private spheres. It is this passionate desire for demarcation that sets the stage for understanding the spiritual side of public affairs and points to the seat of the soul of government as a living entity in its own right. Government, in the words of Aristotle, “is more than a legal structure, more than an arrangement of offices; it is a manner of life, a moral spirit.”
To the extent that government is viewed as the manifestation of a collectivity of living beings also provides reason to believe that it possesses qualities of human systems of its own. Hence, it is no accident that the name “body politic” has been used frequently throughout recorded history when referring to government and its proper place in society. One of the qualities of living human systems, I think most readers would agree, is spiritual in nature.
Against this backdrop, it is no surprise that to affect reform in ancient Greek society, the cradle of Western civilization and democracy, both Plato and Aristotle ultimately resorted to “spiritual means” as the preferred course of action. It was their view that in order “to heal disunion and division of spirit, one must employ a common education, which will put all men (i.e., people) on the same spiritual level and initiate them into the same spiritual community.”
It is the process of authentic dialogue that is linked most closely to the notion of a “common education” to build the kind of spiritual community envisioned here. Importantly, it is through such dialogue, a process that is rooted in and derived from the ancient Greek concept and word logos, meaning spirit, that we become conscious of and connected to the “soul” of government.
Alas, if only Plato and Aristotle were around today!
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- Written by: Φωτεινή Βήττου
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When frontline public employees become “human shields” between political pressure and citizens’ frustration, the cost is both personal and institutional. Yet daily micro-practices, supportive leadership, and resilience-building can protect both employees and public trust.
Read more: Human shields at the public counter: Building personal resilience and citizens’ trust
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- Written by: Φωτεινή Βήττου
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The government’s announcement on the expansion of the institution of “certified service providers” is presented as a reform that will accelerate procedures and reduce bureaucracy.
Read more: Certified Service Providers: Indirect Privatization at a High Cost
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- Written by: Φωτεινή Βήττου
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Democracy does not always die through coups, tanks, or civil wars. Sometimes, it dies silently, behind closed doors, through small but systematic concessions.
Read more: The Retreat of Democracy in Greece (Slowly, Steadily, and Silently)
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- Written by: Φωτεινή Βήττου
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The closure of 204 Hellenic Post (ELTA) branches and the reactions it triggered reflect the state’s inability to manage change with strategic planning, dialogue, and social sensitivity. Instead of serving as an example of good practice, this decision—initially framed as an economic necessity—became a valuable lesson on how changes fail when the fundamental principles of administrative science and their social dimension are overlooked.
Read more: ELTA’s shutdowns expose persisting administrative mistakes
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- Written by: Ιωάννης Φύτρος
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Ioannis Fytros, Municipality of Athens's Point of Contact to OGP Local and member of IERP, conveys from Vitoria-Gasteiz the spirit of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit 2025. The message was clear: less slogans, more implementation. Trust in institutions is built through action, transparency, and accountability.
Read more: OGP Global Summit 2025: What do people want from Open Government today?
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- Written by: Παναγιώτης Καρκατσούλης
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Proposals to improve the functioning and organisation of the public administration are always welcome. However, those who announce them and commit to implementing them should have at least a basic knowledge of our administrative history in order to help them avoid mistakes and make the most of missed opportunities.
Read more: Citizens' evaluation of public services: Running forward or deja vu?
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- Written by: Panagiotis Karkatsoulis, Alex Pattakos, Efi Stefopoulou
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.
Read more: Looking for Ariadne’s Thread:Greece’s Public Service Workforce in Transition
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- Written by: Efi Stefopoulou
Τhe greek regulatory policy is a long lasting reform that has just last scored a goal: A law has just been enacted setting the better regulation principles and prescribing the procedures to be followed for a better regulatory environment. The story of that reform may at the end look to be on the right track, but it took so long to happen that lets a bitter taste. Regulatory policy may be defined broadly as an explicit, dynamic, and consistent “whole of government” policy to pursue high quality regulation.