LEFT-WING POPULISM IN GREECE: THE STATE AND BUREAUCRACY UNDER POPULIST RULE

The article considers the influence of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) on the development of Greece’s public sector and bureaucracy since the 1980s, placing particular emphasis on the nationalization of private companies and the marked increase in the number of civil servants. It argues that PASOK’s policies during that period were inherently populist and contributed to the establishment of a large-scale clientelist system, in which party affiliation decided access to government positions – ultimately compromising managerial efficiency and incurring substantial budgetary outlays. As a result, Greece faced debt troubles that worsened during the economic crisis of the 2010s. The article further studies how the populist framework introduced by PASOK shaped the transformation of Greece’s political landscape, leading to the collapse of traditional parties, the country’s entrapment in a vicious cycle of financial wastefulness, and the rise of new radical movements such as SYRIZA and ANEL. Those parties came to power amid widespread disillusionment with the existing political order, inherited many of PASOK’s populist strategies, and thus deepened the crisis of Greece’s political system.