Event Reports
In the spirit of bringing the principles of the Social Market Economy closer to the Greek public, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Greece Office and the Department of Economics of the Democritus University of Thrace co-organized a discussion on the model and the role of Local Governance in it, with the support of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.
Christos Metios, the Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, was the first to greet the audience and discuss on the importance of a good governance model for an effective local administration. He was followed by the Head of the Department of Economics of Democritus University of Thrace, Evangelos Drimbetas, who pointed out how important it is for the universities to promote extrovert thinking and implement new ways of learning. The Head of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Greece, Susanna Vogt, pointed out the necessity for the dialogue among the European countries in order to overcome misunderstandings and build bridges.
The first panel focused on the theoretical part of the topic. Prof. Dr. Nils Goldschmidt, Professor for Contextual Economics and Economic Education, University of Siegen, presented the basic working principles of the model of Social Market Economy, conceptualizing for the Greek audience the term of "Ordnungspolitik". Thomas Poufinas, Lecturer of the Economic Department of the Democritus University of Thrace, followed and presented the focal economic points of the Greek growth model from the 1950's till today. The discussion which ensued focused on the principles of the model of the Social Market Economy which the public considered interesting to incorporate in the Greek model.
The second panel aimed to discuss the ways the principles of Social Market Economy are applied in German local governance, what is the case of Greece and how the principle of subsidiarity could support development. The two panelists were Christoph Jansen, Deputy Chairman of the CDU in the Council of the City of Bonn, and Giorgos Galanos, Lecturer of the Economic Department of the Democritus University of Thrace. The following discussion focused on the best practices found in each country, how they could be enhanced and how one could learn from the other one.
