Challenges and Adjustments of Healthcare and Labor Policies in Greece during the COVID-19 era: A Critical Assessment of the Key Social Policy Responses
Keywords:
Welfare state, pandemic, healthcare policy, labor policyAbstract
The welfare state in Greece even before the outbreak of the global
pandemic experienced multiple challenges and problems mainly as a result
of its chronic structural, administrative, and financial problems which were
further deteriorated by austerity measures. The pandemic that followed the
ten-year economic crisis led to a new multifaceted crisis, adding further
pressure on the National Health System as well as on the labor market, and
precipitating the uptake of targeted measures and policies to support both the
NHS with equipment, staff, and employment due to the imposition of
national and local lockdowns. Confronted with such weaknesses, the
establishment of a new welfare state would need to bear a higher degree of
flexibility, inclusivity, and efficiency in order to live up to the increasing
societal, health, and economic demands. In this sense, the aim of this paper
is to explore the variations in health and labor policies (two key pillars of the
welfare state) during the COVID-19 pandemic and assess whether there is a
need for further interventions with regard to the social security and
prosperity of citizens.
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