Post-Crisis' in Greece: Subordination Normalized

Overview & Synopsis

Pressed by creditor institutions, Greece implemented a national means-tested General Minimum Income (GMI) targeting the extreme poor. Based on a 2017-2019 qualitative survey in the Attica region, we examine the new policy and engage in a critical analysis of its deployment. Our investigation places the Greek experiment in its European context, which prioritizes workfare and residualized welfare. It highlights the arbitrary character of the biopolitical management of populations and its overall purposefulness-the regularisation of the poor-and discusses difficulties emerging at local micromanagement level that often translate into inequalities and injustices, contrary to the institutions' stated aims.