ABSTRACT
Civil society has always been weak in Greece (Lyrintzis, 2002, p. 92; Mouzelis, 2002, p. 238–45). Few voluntary associations and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) have been recorded compared to other countries, while participation in such bodies has remained relatively low (Sotiropoulos, 2004, p. 8). Additionally, civil society has been criticised for its strong, unhealthy dependence on the Greek state, as it has never actually succeeded in developing autonomous rules and values away from politics (Polyzoidis, 2009, p. 191). In this respect, civil society in Greece has not achieved anything of substance, particularly in the social field, mainly due to a lack of state support, inconsistent government policies (Polyzoidis, 2009), and persistent, highly polarised political party confrontations (Robolis et al., 1995).
