The Greek Economic Crisis: Myths, Misperceptions, Truths, and Realities

Abstract

This essay summarizes developments since the outbreak of the Greek economic crisis in 2010 from the perspective of various myths that dominated the public discourse from 2010 to 2016. In the author’s view, the perpetuation of these myths, which was partly the result of poor communication policies of the Greek governments, impeded a swifter resolution of the crisis. The analysis is based on the author’s personal experiences while he served as an alternate executive director of the International Monetary Fund representing Greece from January 2012 to July 2015.