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2018 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

5. The Collapse and Reform of the Mediterranean Social Model in Cyprus, Portugal, and Spain

Author : Dóra Győrffy

Published in: Trust and Crisis Management in the European Union

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

The chapter examines the cases of three Mediterranean countries: Cyprus, Portugal, and Spain. It asks the question how these countries succeeded in avoiding the fate of Greece despite sharing many similarities with its model of capitalism. The key explanation appears to be a shared elite commitment to the implementation of the bailout program even though the three countries faced a very different set of conditions due to their different negotiating power. In all three cases, public trust in the elite collapsed, but mainstream parties succeeded in preventing populist challengers taking over the government. However, following the exit from the program, reform fatigue set in indicating the limits of elite-driven reforms during a period of crisis.

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previous chapter Institutional Capacities and Crisis Management in Greece and Ireland

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Title: The Collapse and Reform of the Mediterranean Social Model in Cyprus, Portugal, and Spain
Author: Dóra Győrffy
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Book: Trust and Crisis Management in the European Union
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69211-1

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-69212-8

Copyright Year: 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69212-8_5