There seem to be a lot of parallels with the American south. Greece is poorer than the northern neighbors. It is the recipient of much of the EU largess, yet it is not a fan of EU regulation. The rule of law is not front and center, with the rule of "connections" more important. Greece is a gateway country for many immigrants seeking European asylum. There are strong racist and nationalists elements with Greece. There is also a call for reparations.
Greece was "fast-tracked" into the Euro-zone. As the birthplace of democracy, there was a special feeling among Europeans for Greece. They appeared to get close to meeting the economic targets. However, it turned out that there were a lot of fudged numbers. Greece was put in a position they were not ready for.
There is endemic corruption throughout the system. The higher one is in the government, the more opportunities for corruption. The military is rife with overpriced contracts and bribes. Even regular businesses and workers are not immune from the corruption. It is so prevalent that it is hard to crack down on anyone without seeming biased.
The government workforce is bloated and inefficient. Working in front of a computer is considered a hardship and entitles workers to extra time off. Greek government workers cannot easily be fired. This was done to prevent "patronage sweeps" by an incoming government. However, it now means that workers are often paid while not working. One anecdote in the book describes workers who were in jail for murdering a government official - yet still collecting their salaries.
It is interesting to see Greeks adopt arguments from both black and white southerners. They think Germany owes them reparations. Politicians will use the reparations request to help win votes. (They will often in sprinkle in lies about other reparations.) They obviously haven't seen the Finnish example where paying reparation helped them boost their economy. Do reparations from the distant past ever help?
The racist element is the other side of the coin. Immigrants come through Greece. The Greeks don't like them. They have many arguments about why they are bad. (A few of those arguments may have truth.) However, since asylum seekers are allowed to stay while awaiting their case, they end up staying a long time. If Greece actually had a functioning bureaucracy to hear the cases, they may have fewer immigrants in their midst. Instead, they end up with nationalist parties forming groups to try too cleanse the areas. And don't even get Greeks talking about the Turks.
Would Greece be better off outside the European Union? I can't help but think they are just not ready.
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