ABSTRACT
The field of social welfare is one of the few areas of third sector activity in Greece to have been surveyed in some detail. This chapter aims to build on this earlier research, in order to further our understanding of this sector in two respects. Firstly, the chapter assesses how the previously identified patterns of relationships between NGOs and the state in this field fit into a number of comparative models of the third sector. Despite recent progress in the research on Greek civil society, comparison with other countries is an important area of study which is still underdeveloped. Secondly, the chapter assesses the repercussions of the crisis on the social welfare NGO sector. The unprecedented depth and unknown duration of the crisis, combined with the increasing inability of the Greek state to provide basic social services, have led to fundamental changes to the context in which these organisations work, which makes a reassessment of their role particularly timely.
