European Economy and International Economic Environment

The course takes an interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approach to the applied European development and cohesion policies as a prerequisite for European integration, the challenges generated by contemporary crises, and the analysis of relevant opinion polls, Eurobarometer surveys and social cohesion indicators, with an emphasis on European societies but also on the globalized context. In particular, students will be introduced to contemporary sociological approaches, analyzing the characteristics of postmodern social risk. In this context, the risks and prospects in relation to the development and cohesion of European societies and the globalized context will be analyzed, initially emphasizing the criticisms that have been developed regarding the anthropogenic footprint on the environment and the impacts on societies, and then the alternatives that have been proposed within the framework of European policy focusing on green/sustainable development, prosperity and quality of life. Furthermore, the transformations that are taking place within the framework of the European strategy for innovation and digital transformation through the introduction of new technologies, bringing about critical changes in the way of governance and in various aspects of daily life, are analyzed. At the same time, aspects of crises (economic, pandemic, wars, migration, climate, energy, etc.) are analyzed in the context of cosmopolitanization, emphasizing the social impacts and the way living conditions are shaped. Consequently, the course aims to introduce students to the basic concepts and theories of economic and regional development, economic policy, as well as to the finding, analysis and interpretation of relevant indicators and, further, to the examination and analysis of contemporary issues, problems and prospects of the EU and the Greek economy. Within the context of the course, an analysis will be made of the various stages of development and evolution of the EU, the relevant policies and prospects, and the course of the Greek economy in the EU from accession to the present day. In combination with the above, an analysis of the role of the EU in the international context and an analysis of contemporary issues, such as, for example, the economic crisis, the health crisis and the energy crisis, and the issues of convergence, cohesion and development within the EU framework will be carried out. Furthermore, students will delve into the generative causes, the evolution, the implementation and the results of the EU's Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion policy. The acquisition of this knowledge will allow students to assess the degree of achievement of the cohesion of the united Europe in its literal sense, which is a prerequisite for European integration. Also, a central objective of the course is the understanding of opinion polls, the Eurobarometer, and social cohesion indicators. In particular, students will delve into the fundamental principles of public opinion polling, including data collection and processing methods, and will explore the structure of the Eurobarometer and the diverse range of surveys it includes. The course delves into the methodology used to construct social indicators, describing the main variables taken into account and the techniques used. In addition, notable findings arising from the analysis of these indicators are presented with an emphasis on social well-being and social cohesion. Through the investigation of the construction and analysis of the results of social indicators, the aim is to gain a deeper understanding of social dynamics in various contexts and how to identify potential areas for improvement. The investigation of cohesion and lack of cohesion is carried out synthetically through the grouping of member states based on the score of their social indicators, while at the same time the current results are analyzed comparatively with those obtained ten and five years ago in order to analyze the progress or regression of each state in terms of social cohesion. Subsequently, an intra-state analysis of social indicators is carried out, analyzing the convergences and divergences in social indicators within the same country. Special reference will be made to the case of Greece in order to understand the level of European integration and the cohesion of Greek society. Combining all of the above, the course delves into the history of European elections, electoral systems, participation, as well as the composition and cohesion of political groups, aiming to acquire valuable knowledge about the functioning of the European Parliament and the democratic processes within the European Union.