AthensWeek-Long Study Tour | Economics Program

Note: This Study Tour will no longer run after the fall 2023 semester. Beginning spring 2024, it will shift to Helsinki. 

On this week-long Study Tour, you travel to Athens to explore the role of the Greek government in stimulating growth, regulating the economy, and managing debt constraints in its public institutions. During the 2008 financial crises, Greece made headlines when it required multiple bailouts from the IMG, Eurogroup, and European Central Bank. Today the country continues to experience severe financial challenges, including deep budget cuts, tax increases, and an economy that has shrunk around 25% since 2008.

While on tour, you develop a deeper insight into the Greek economy and how its institutions are dealing with the challenges of business privatization, pension cuts, and high unemployment. You draw comparisons between the Greek welfare model and the Scandinavian welfare system, meeting with various groups to see how the system is playing out in the middle of a recession. You develop a deeper insight into Greece through exposure to its unique culture, history, and socioeconomic climate. At the same time, you examine how globalization has impacted the Euro Zone currency both during and after the financial crisis.

Tour Objectives

  • Better understand and analyze the role of the EU’s economic governance
  • Hear from various stakeholders to see how Greece’s system functions in different welfare areas
  • Meet various economic agents to explore challenges and opportunities for Greece’s economic future
  • Examine how local agencies seek to stimulate their economies

Possible Activities

  • Meet with Greek members of European Parliament
  • Visit government agencies such as the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Welfare
  • Visit the Bank of Greece
  • Meet with members of the Greek Ombudsman, which monitors and protects people’s rights in both the public and private sectors and maintains state-citizen relations
  • Hear from the Research Center for Gender Equality/Secretary for Gender Equality on how combating gender inequality can have an effect on Greece’s economic growth