Tackling Social Exclusion in Greece: Citizenship and Participatory Governance

Abstract

The spatial concentration of socioeconomic disadvantage as a result of discriminatory practices presents a challenging scenario for policy intervention. In this paper I examine the European Union (EU) social exclusion approach in addressing socioeconomic disadvantage in deprived urban areas. I look at the Greek city of Komotini, a society fragmented along ethnic lines. I focus on the Turkish minority community and explore the creation of local governance structures aiming at tackling exclusion through enhanced participation in decision making. The concept of citizenship rights that guided local ‘exclusion’ policies exposes the differences in the de jure and the de facto rights of different groups in the city. The governance mode of participation, however, puts emphasis on coordination and consensus at the expense of local realities. EU participatory principles that take local networking dynamics for granted do not travel well in centralized governance frameworks.