Understanding ‘dependency’ through the comparative capitalisms framework: conceptualisation of Greece as a dependent market economy

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article relates to debates about dependency of countries in the global political economy. It conceptualises dependency by drawing on the concept of ‘mechanisms of dependency’, and builds a synergy with the Comparative Capitalisms (CC) literature (i.e. institutional and third-generation perspectives). The article expands the Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) framework by applying the established category of Dependent Market Economy to Greece. Building on financialisation as a mechanism of dependency, the article argues this locked Greece into reliance on external debt, dependent position within the Eurozone, as well as vulnerable situation after reforms demanded by the creditors were implemented. However, due to internal historical-structural issues with its capitalist model, Greece was unable to minimise the negative impact of financialised dependence, and is internally weakly prepared to escape from its peripheral status in the future if external dependence will be removed. The article argues that conceptual synergy between dependency theory and the CC literature is desirable in order to provide a more holistic account of interaction between external and internal factors in the context of dependent capitalist varieties.