Can Greece learn from China?

Despite the silence of Vita publisher, I’ve decided to go ahead with my blog. While feedback is lacking, there are several individuals that continue to encourage me to post. I still have something to say, it seems.

I’ve just ordered the last biography of Deng Xiaoping by Prof Ezra Vogel. I usually don’t have any interest in leaders’ biographies. They are celebrities thanks to media coverage rather than deeds. However, I’m fascinated by those that have revolutionized history from behind the curtain. Deng is one of them, and perhaps the right inspiration for whoever aspires to steer social transformation.

There is a line by Vogel I really like – ‘Deng believed in trying experiments. He didn’t have a set plan to transform China after Mao’s death’. Deng, leader of China from ’78 to ’97, was famous for his sayings inspired by ordinary life. He was able to speak to everybody. One of his most poignant proverbs, it seems, reflects a remedy we should perhaps strive for – ‘It doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white as long as it catches mice’ i.e. it doesn’t matter what ideology is preached, so long as government fosters economic growth. Ideology in a strict sense may be dead, but Deng’s saying comes in handy for today’s social transformation: ‘We will cross the river feeling the stones one by one’. Here, he refers to the Chinese passage from a socialist to a capitalist market economy, but it still remains  valid when we talk about our transformation from the post WWII society to the globalized one. We can’t jump into the future. We have to move into it step by step taking people with us. Amongst other ideas Deng established was the first special economic zones in China where market economy principles where introduced. That was the beginning of a radical change for China and the rest of the world. That was the first stone. Why don’t we try the same in Europe starting from the area most hit by the crisis: Greece? We could make Athens, for instance, an open air laboratory to experiment with social innovation, social enterprise and social investments.  Where else could we really implement an innovative, sustainable and inclusive economy? I’m in Athens next week for the European year of volunteering conference. This will be my proposal. Stay connected to see the results!