Governance and Finance-Related Characteristics of ‘Revived’ Social Investment Policies: A Greek Example

Abstract

In a context characterized by the ‘rediscovery’ of the social investment approach to welfare provision and a renewed emphasis on ideas relevant to this approach – such as investing in human capital as a means to enhance individual capacity to cope with social risks – apprenticeship programmes have come to the forefront of public debate. This article draws on the findings of a large-scale, mostly qualitative research project (December 2015–March 2017) that reviewed apprenticeships in crisis-ridden Greece and in the framework of which, inter alia, 150 stakeholders (apprentices, graduates, employers, etc) were surveyed. It offers, for the first time, a critical and succinct, but also comprehensive overview of the characteristics associated with two crucial dimensions of a policy which typifies this ‘revived’ social investment approach: the governance and financing of apprenticeships in Greece. It is argued that the governance and financing of apprenticeships in this country are characterized by positive features, as well as severe shortcomings. The latter undermine the effectiveness of the policy and thus pose obstacles to the potential to attain the goals related to the core of the social investment approach.