Table Of ContentREFORM AND TRANSITION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
SERIES EDITOR: IOANNIS N. GRIGORIADIS
Parliamentary Elites
in Transition
Political Representation in Greece
Edited by
Manina Kakepaki
Fani Kountouri
Reform and Transition in the Mediterranean
Series Editor
Ioannis N. Grigoriadis, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
The series of political and economic crises that befell many countries in
the Mediterranean region starting in 2009 has raised emphatically ques-
tions of reform and transition. While the sovereign debt crisis of Southern
European states and the “Arab Spring” appear prima facie unrelated, some
common roots can be identified: low levels of social capital and trust, high
incidence of corruption, and poor institutional performance. This series
provides a venue for the comparative study of reform and transition in
the Mediterranean within and across the political, cultural, and religious
boundaries that crisscross the region. Defining the Mediterranean as the
region that encompasses the countries of Southern Europe, the Levant,
and North Africa, the series contributes to a better understanding of the
agents and the structures that have brought reform and transition to the
forefront. It invites (but is not limited to) interdisciplinary approaches
that draw on political science, history, sociology, economics, anthro-
pology, area studies, and cultural studies. Bringing together case studies
of individual countries with broader comparative analyses, the series
provides a home for timely and cutting-edge scholarship that addresses
the structural requirements of reform and transition; the interrelations
between politics, history and culture; and the strategic importance of the
Mediterranean for the EU, the USA, Russia, and emerging powers.
·
Manina Kakepaki Fani Kountouri
Editors
Parliamentary Elites
in Transition
Political Representation in Greece
Editors
Manina Kakepaki Fani Kountouri
Institute of Political Research Department of Political Science
National Centre for Social Research and History
Athens, Greece Panteion University
Athens, Greece
ISSN 2945-641X ISSN 2945-6428 (electronic)
Reform and Transition in the Mediterranean
ISBN 978-3-031-11693-3 ISBN 978-3-031-11694-0 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11694-0
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Acknowledgements
This book is the outcome of a long journey in our research on repre-
sentation in Greece. Much of the analysis presented here uses data
from the socioscope database on Members of the Greek Parliament devel-
oped at the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE). We wish to
thank the former and current Presidents of EKKE, Emeritus Professor
Thomas Maloutas and Professor Nikos Demertzis for supporting this
project throughout the years. The initial design and preparation of
the database was funded through the project “Dynamic Management
of Social Databases and Cartographic Representations - SoDaMap”
(funding: GSRT, NSRF 2013–2015), with updates being made possible
thanks to funding from the project “Research, Education and Infrastruc-
tures: the triangulation of EKKE strategic axes” (funding: GSRT, NSRF
2014–2020). Many people worked at EKKE during the years in data
collection and verification. We wish to thank Nikos Klironomos, Kate-
rina Papaevaggelou, Constantinos Pierides, Stavros Skrinis and Panayiotis
Sopakis Valalakis for patiently going through thousands of CVs, coding
and correcting all the information.
During the last two years, part of this work was presented in a joint
postgraduate course organized by Panteion University and EKKE on
political elites. We thank the students of the course for their comments
and suggestions, especially at a time when classes moved online, and
we all had to adapt literally overnight to a new reality. We also thank
Vassiliki Georgiadou, Andreas Kollias and Gerassimos Moshonas for their
v
vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
constructive comments when part of the conclusions was presented at the
academic seminar of the Department of Political Science and History of
Panteion University.
Many thanks are given to the editorial team at Palgrave, especially
Ambra Filotello and Ashwini Elango, project coordinator of this book,
for their guidance and assistance during all steps of production and to
Professor Ioannis N. Grigoriadis for giving us the opportunity to publish
in this book series. We also thank the anonymous reviewers for accepting
the book proposal and providing insightful feedback. The chapter authors
of this volume responded to our (endless) demands with professionalism
and diligence; we are grateful to all of them. It has been a great pleasure
working with all of you.
On a personal note, the first editor would like to thank Yiannis and
Melina for their love, support and understanding. The second editor
would like to thank Nikos, Apostolia and Michalis for their patience and
long-standing love and support. During the publishing process we were
shocked by the news of the sudden death of Ilias Nicolacopoulos. His
work on MPs and candidates’ data collection and his fascinating knowl-
edge of the insides of Greek politics was the inspiration that sparked our
own interest in this area years ago. This book is dedicated to his memory.
Praise for Parliamentary Elites in
Transition
“This is a carefully designed and written book about different dimen-
sions of the evolution of descriptive representation in Greece (with a
further comparison with Cyprus) in different periods of crisis and stability.
Kakepaki and Kountouri make an excellent job in coordinating scholars
working with the same database of Greek MPs. The fascinating findings of
the respected team of scholars make the book a landmark to be replicated
in other countries and a “must read” for democracy scholars.”
—Xavier Coller, Professor, National Distance Education University, Spain
“This book, based on a solid and unified data set covering the 1989-
2019 period, provides a really comprehensive analysis of the socio-
demographic and political characteristics of Greek parliamentary elites.
It is a genuinely innovative contribution to the literature on political
elites. An exciting read for political scientists and for anyone inter-
ested in the transformations of parliamentary representation. Highly
recommended.”
—Gerassimos Moschonas, Professor, Panteion University of Social and
Political Sciences, Greece
vii
Contents
1 Introduction: Greek Parliamentary Elites
in Transition (1989–2019) 1
Manina Kakepaki and Fani Kountouri
2 Gender, Representation, and the Politcs of Exclusion:
Or, Who Represents, Who Is Represented, What Is
at Stake? 29
Maro Pantelidou Maloutas
3 Mind the Gaps: The Class Dynamics of the Greek
Parliamentary Elite 57
Giorgos Bithymitris
4 Revolving Doors Between Journalism and Politics:
A Comparative Approach to Traditional and New
Professions in the Greek Parliament 83
Fani Kountouri
5 Young Conservatives, Media Personalities
or Old-School Elites? The Many Faces of New
Democracy MPs Across Time 109
Manina Kakepaki
6 From Hegemony to Pasokification: Socialist MPs
in Transition 131
Gerasimos Karoulas
ix
x CONTENTS
7 From an Outsider to a Mainstream Party. The
Parliamentary Elite of SYRIZA as an Indicator
of Party Transformation 157
Danai Koltsida
8 What Are the Far Right MPs Like? Radical
and Extreme Right Parties in the Greek Parliament 181
Constantinos Pierides
9 The Rise of Technocrats in Greek Ministerial Elites:
Evidence from 1989 to 2021 205
Nicos Souliotis, Nikos Klironomos, and Gerasimos Karoulas
10 Change in Continuity? A Comparison
of Parliamentary Representation in Cyprus
and Greece in the Background of the Economic Crisis 231
Yiannos Katsourides and Antrea Kosta
11 Conclusions: Who Gets Elected and When. Change
and Continuity in Parliament and a Proposed
Typology 259
Fani Kountouri and Manina Kakepaki
Index 279
