Paper short abstract:

The paper aims at exploring the extent to which local government can really design an urban policy towards alleviating crisis' severe impact through the implementation of anti-poverty and anti-exclusionary programs. Data come from empirical anthropological research in the city of Athens.

Paper long abstract:

This paper, based on empirical data from an ongoing research project in the urban setting of Athens, attempts to shed light on the impact of the crisis on several dimensions of quality of life. It attempts to incorporate both elements related to certain objective conditions of living as well as subjective views, perceptions and representations about the serious economic crisis. In this context it aims to explore the extent to which local government can really design an urban policy towards alleviating crisis severe impact through the implementation of anti-poverty and anti-exclusionary programs. The empirical evidence so far reveal that the economic crisis and the policies of memoranda have caused deep wounds and strong inequalities, not only in terms of disposable income and material resources of individuals and households but also in the overall quality of urban life, with serious implications for the future of social cohesion.