My name is Georgios Chatzichristos, I am Greek, and I was in Moura for two months to develop research work under the RurAction project, under the guidance of ADCMoura, one of the participating social enterprises.
I made myself photograph with the olive tree of the image, brought from my country. This is in the garden of Evil seen in Moura.
Speaking a little about my academic journey, I started my studies in the field of physics, changing the following year to economics. I have a degree in economics from the university of Macedonia, a master’s degree in political theory from the London School of Economics and master’s degree in philosophy. Interdisciplinary education and research have always been a priority for me.
My first contact with the issues of regional development and social economy came up under my bachelor’s thesis in economics “Development as Self-Management”. At that time, I understood that the facts of the social economy require an interdisciplinary approach. Therefore, my postgraduate studies have served to strengthen and expand my interpretative approaches. At the same time, I tried to equip myself with a solid mathematical and statistical base combining it with a constant critical posture. The interest in interdisciplinary research led me to the RurAction project, a fruitful and ideal field for the development of my interests as a researcher. I also developed a forum for the network of social companies in Greece.
My research project is entitled “Political Framework for Rural Development and Social Entrepreneurship”, exploring the role of political institutions in the development of social entrepreneurship in low-density rural areas and thus the very development of these territories. The research addresses the situation of rural areas with a matter that is based on political support and policy measures. It aims to investigate mainly the interactions, potential and conflicts of interest surrounding the development of social companies and rural areas, in a triple political framework: European, national, regional.
The objective of the project is to investigate the social economy as a partner-political event in four selected European regions: Lower Alentejo (Portugal), Mühlviertel (Austria), Pthiotis (Greece) and Central West (Ireland). By adopting the perspective of ” sociological institutionalism “, my research tries to address two main issues: a) the ” logic of adequacy ” within political institutions is a valid assumption, which makes institutional change difficult and the development of the social economy sector ? (b) is there an “institutional isomorphism” between the different regions, which would indicate the possibility of common conceptualizations and common political measures. The first research question is addressed at the inter-regional level through a cross-regional analysis. The second research question is addressed at the regional level through a cross-political analysis.
The research will take place in the four regions mentioned and selected under the RurAction project. Respondents will be political decision-makers and public officials at regional, national and European Union level. The design and methodology of research were developed from the literature on “sociological institutionalism”. Documentary analysis and interviews with mixed methods at inter-regional and regional levels will also be combined.
Click here to learn more about my project.
Thanks to ADC Moura for the interview and the picture!