If we can judge by the scope, depth and very interesting findings of the research presented Thursday at the inaugural conference of the Hellenic Policy Papers in Athens, Greece is acquiring valuable “space” for discussion on the crucial issues of the economy, education, and the labor market at the time of artificial intelligence.
The one-day meeting of academics was organized jointly by Yale University’s Hellenic Studies Program and the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE). Its aim is to bring together distinguished Greek academics (from the diaspora and Greece) to conduct in-depth research into crucial issues and to propose policies. Each presentation is commented on by a specialist academic, followed by discussion with the audience.
A paper on the effects of the rise of the minimum wage in 2019 (by 11%, to €650) when unemployment was at 19%, noted that this did not lead to the loss of jobs, nor did it slow down the rise in employment. The discussion raised questions such as who pays for the increases, and what prompted a rise in higher wages, too.
Research on Greece’s public education system was based on analyzing the data of more than 340,000 pupils in 1,137 schools from 2015 to 2025. It focused, among other things, on which learning gaps emerge early and persist; how schools, teachers and classroom composition relate to pupils’ achievement; the extent to which student choices for tertiary education are aligned with labor market opportunities. The authors’ aim was to present a basis for further discussion and proposals.
