The coronavirus pandemic has abruptly interrupted the slow but steady recovery of the Greek economy after a near decade-long economic crisis. The past year has been all about short-term crisis-mitigation measures. In 2021, the economy is likely to grow as the pandemic recedes and some normality returns, but what about 2022 and beyond?

This research seminar presented an EBRD diagnosis of the obstacles faced by Greek businesses and institutions, and it outlined how a robust and sustainable growth path could be achieved if these obstacles were addressed.

Meet our speakers and chair

Julia Brouillard is an Associate Economist in the Country Economics and Policy team at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, with a focus on Greece and Cyprus. She joined the EBRD in 2018 as an Analyst. Between 2016 and 2018, she was a deputy head of office at the French treasury focusing on developments in the international financial architecture. In 2015, she worked at the World Bank in the Doing Business team. She is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris with a Degree in Economics and Politics and Masters in Public Policy. She is currently a PhD candidate in Economics at the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) in London. 

Peter Sanfey is Deputy Director for Country Economics and Policy within the Economics, Policy and Governance Department at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London. Between 2017 and 2020 he was also a Senior Visiting Fellow at the LSEE Research on South Eastern Europe group within the European Institute, London School of Economics. He holds a BA in Economics from Trinity College Dublin and a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University. He was a lecturer in economics at the University of Kent at Canterbury prior to joining the EBRD. Dr Sanfey has published widely in academic journals and edited volumes on various topics, mainly covering transition economics, macroeconomics, labour economics, and subjective measures of well-being. For more than two decades he has been analysing economic developments and reform challenges in south-eastern Europe and he has co-authored two books and numerous journal articles and book chapters on this region.

Dimitris Sourvanos is an Associate Counsellor in the Governance and Political Affairs team at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, with a focus on Southeast Europe. He joined the EBRD in 2016 as Political Analyst in the Political Counsellors’ team. Between 2014 and 2016, he was Research Assistant in the Hellenic Observatory (European Institute) at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He is a graduate of the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens (Greece) with a degree in International and European Studies. He holds an MSc in the Political Economy of Europe from the LSE.

Dimitri Vayanos is Professor of Finance at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he also directs the Financial Markets Group and the Paul Woolley Centre for the Study of Capital Market Dysfunctionality. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Director and former Managing Editor of the Review of Economic Studies, a Research Fellow at CEPR and a former Director of its Financial Economics program, a Research Associate at NBER, a former Director of the American Finance Association, and a former Head of LSE's Finance Department. He is a member of the Pissarides Committee, tasked to develop a growth plan for the Greek economy.

Vassilis Monastiriotis is an economist and economic geographer by training, specialising in three areas of Labour Economics, Economic Geography and Political Economy. He has significant policy engagement on all three areas, including appointments in Experts Committees (e.g., on Regional Incentives policy and on Minimum Wage policy in Greece) and work with international bodies such as the European Commission (DG Regio, DG EMPL, DG EAC), the CEFTA Secretariat and the EBRD. He has published widely in economics and regional science journals, including Oxford Economic Papers, the British Journal of Industrial Relations, Journal of Regional Science, Regional Studies, Urban Studies, and others.

The twitter Hashtag for this event is: #LSEGreece

Country Diagnostics
The Diagnostic Paper for Greece can be found here.

Slides
A copy of our speakers' slide presentation is available for download here.

Podcast
Listen to the podcast here.

Video
Watch the video here.

The Hellenic Observatory (@HO_LSE) is internationally recognised as one of the premier research centres on contemporary Greece and Cyprus. It engages in a range of activities, including developing and supporting academic and policy-related research; organisation of conferences, seminars and workshops; academic exchange through visiting fellowships and internships; as well as teaching at the graduate level through LSE's European Institute.