The Social Market Economy: Bridging Society and Economy - Foundation Office Greece and Cyprus
Event Reports
The first seminar on the model of the Social Market Economy, organized by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Greece Office, took place in Nafplio between 05.- 07.03.2015. The purpose of the seminar was to provide the basic knowledge on the model of Social Market Economy and motivate the participants to think differently when faced with an economic and a societal problem. 20 participants were selected among plenty of applicants and together with our team of experts started their trip to knowledge.
Day One
On the first day the introduction to the theory behind the model and the main principles of the Social Market Economy model was held by KAS research assistant Martha Kontodaimon. The theory followed a group presentation and discussion, where the students took their time to evaluate and decide which of the principles presented to them they would like to see developing in their own country. Each participant had to select two principles that she or he considered of high importance for their society and economic life and argue on hers or his motivation on the selected norms. The day was concluded by Matthias Schäfer, Head of the Team of Economic Policy of KAS Berlin, presenting the origins and importance of the Social Market Economy principles in order for the model to work.
Day Two
The second day started with Matthias Schäfer focusing on the possibilities that the Social Market Economy model provides to the entrepreneurial spirit of its constituents as well on the supporting environment that it creates for its small and middle sized enterprises. The session was followed by a lively presentation and discussion with Nikos Kakavoulis, entrepreneur and digital evangelist, founder and former CEO of the Daily Secret. He focused on the power of crises to rediscover our talents and develop in ways we did not think before. He pointed out the personal responsibility as a key trade to achieve your goals and showed through his own experiences how you can reach your potential even if some economic institutions do not work as we wish they should. The day was concluded with the presentation of Prof. Dr. Athanasios Pitsoulis, Chair of Economic Sciences and their Didactic at Hildesheim University, on fairness and justice in economics, two key terms we rarely see in economics, but intensely discuss when we analyze our every day interactions.
Day Three
The first part of the last day of the seminar was oriented on interactive group work. The participants were split into groups of five and chose an economic institution of their country which they consider inefficient and malfunctioning. Subsequently they applied the already discussed principles of the Social Market Economy within these institutions, aiming to project how they could become efficient through private initiative. In this way the participants sketched how their own actions and motivations could have a positive effect on their society and economy. They managed to actively reproduce the key idea within the Social Market Economy model, the one of the personal responsibility. The group work was followed by half an hour presentations and discussion per team resulting to interesting suggestions and policy implications by the participants. Athanasios Pitsoulis held the closing presentations and discussions on economic institutions, market extroversion and competitiveness, providing plenty of food for thought for the ride back to Athens.
