By following the population development of Mani since the early decades of the modern Greek state, we observe its continuous weakening through migrations, either in waves or with a slow flow. The causes, both general and specific, have been analysed through numerous and diverse approaches published in the columns of our newspaper during the more than 25 years of its publication. What we will attempt to explore in this text is the connection between regional weakening and central political decisions, particularly those related to the geographical allocation of public investments. The stimulus for this choice of topic as the main article in our current issue, was the empowerment of the areas around Megalopolis due to investments created by generous subsidies for the operation of industrial plants from the European Union’s Decarbonisation Fund. These subsidies, combined with the positive effects of the construction of a motorway connecting these areas with quick access to the capital, airports, and ports, retain a significant workforce and mitigate regional weakening.

A generalised application of such central policies could be a crucial factor in moderating urbanisation, retaining populations in their traditional homes, locally improving employability, and preserving and expanding local agricultural crops. These quantitative factors are further reinforced by the improved quality of life in the periphery, compared to that of urban areas, especially the capital. Unfortunately, the distribution of state expenditures and the selective financial support of private investments are determined by the country’s central administration. A key criterion for these decisions, aside from the comparative advantages for commercial and industrial activities created by proximity to the political center and a large consumer base, includes political considerations tied to the reproduction of the political system during electoral processes mandated by our democratic system.

However, the central administration is obliged to provide substantial support through the legislative route, as required by the country’s supreme legislative and regulatory framework, the Constitution, particularly Article 101, Paragraph 1: “The administration of the state is organised according to the decentralised system,” and Paragraph 4: “The legislator and the administration must consider the special conditions of island and mountainous regions, ensuring their development”. Unfortunately, the policy of most governments so far has been only a superficial approach to these constitutional mandates. The creation of a second tier of local government and the merging of small municipalities and communities into larger administrative units represent an incomplete implementation of constitutional provisions for decentralised governance, as they are not accompanied by the corresponding transfer of financial resources through independent collection and allocation to development actions by the decentralised bodies.

It is fair to note at this point, that the human resources involved in decentralised local government structures tend to follow the same methods of administration and management as the central administration. Through the distribution of resources transferred from the central government, they shape, or attempt to shape, urbanisation dynamics within their regions. The ultimate result of these management practices is the marginalisation of the remote areas within each region, especially mountainous and disadvantaged areas. Our own region, Mani, falls within this category, experiencing all the aforementioned challenges in their most acute form. The only counteracting factor to these conditions of ongoing degradation of our geographical area can be found in the mobilisation of the local population for collective demands. Unfortunately, as the long-standing behaviour of our local representatives demonstrates, there seems to be no willingness for cooperation aimed at jointly claiming the financial resources our area is entitled to from state allocations for public investments, based on stable factors such as area size, population, and the number of issued building permits. Let us hope that, even belatedly, this will be understood and the necessary collaborative framework for action will be established.

THE EDITORIAL BOARD