Emmanouil M.L. Economou – författare

Inspired by the democratic origins of the Greek naval victory at Salamis, the book discusses the current pressing issues of democracy worldwide. In 12 carefully selected chapters, well-renowned scholars from around the globe discuss topics such as Brexit, Euroscepticism, or the rise of populism. The authors further analyze various aspects of democracy, as well as various types of democratic regimes, such as mixed government, direct democracy, and cases of quasi democracies. While doing so, they relate this discussion to the pivotal question of how the quality of democracy today can be improved, seeking answers and solutions to current pending problems at the global level.

This book is the second out of two edited volumes as a sequel of an international academic conference titled Salamis and Democracy: 2500 Years After that took place between October 3rd and October 5th, 2020, on the occasion of the 2500th anniversary of the great historical event of the Battle of Salamis, which saved Greek culture and the newly founded democratic regimes throughout the Hellenic world during the Classical period (508-323 BCE). The book is a must-read for scholars and students of political science, economics, and law, as well as policy-makers interested in a better understanding of democracy, governance, populism, social choice, and constitutional law.

In this book, well-renowned international scholars discuss topics related to various aspects of the history of the Battle of Salamis, inspired by the democratic origins of the Greek naval victory at Salamis. They present deductions from the battle that can be useful for today, and seek answers for a more prosperous and brighter future for our societies. Their analyses are divided into five parts in the book: 1) The democratic implications of the Battle of Salamis; 2) The strategies that lead to monumental naval victories; 3) The institutional implications of the Battle of Salamis; 4) Various societal aspects of the Athenian democracy; 5) The interconnections between two glorious battles: Thermopylae and Salamis.

This book is the first out of two edited volumes as a sequel of an international academic conference titled Salamis and Democracy: 2500 Years After that took place between October 3rd and October 5th, 2020, on the occasion of the 2500th anniversary of the great historical event of the Battle of Salamis, which saved Greek culture and the newly founded democratic regimes throughout the Hellenic world during the Classical period (508-323 BCE). The book is a must-read for scholars and students of history, political science, economics, and law, as well as policy-makers interested in a better understanding of classical, ancient, and political history, democracy, strategy, governance, and social choice. 

This book presents the economic heartbeat and institutional details that shaped Athenian society during the Classical period (508-323 BCE), employing an innovative and outside-the-box approach to studying history. It answers questions about societal structure, the roles of women, foreigners, and slaves, the transformation of their economy from agrarian to maritime, and commercially-oriented. 28 short fictional stories enliven the narrative, each accompanied by rigorous academic analysis - revealing how banking, insurance, and the Athenian drachma, the internationally accepted currency of the times, shaped their world.

Exploring the symbiotic relationship between democracy and economic evolution, the book examines the sophisticated economic institutions of ancient Athens -ranging from property rights protection to market-driven price determination, anti-profiteering measures, measures to protect the Athenian currency’s trustworthiness from forgery, business and labor mentality and practices, international trade patterns, as well as the existence of a robust public sector related also to the provision of a series of public goods. In a comprehensive analysis, the book scrutinizes daily life, societal structures, and customs, addressing a variety of questions such as marriage, cuisine, attire, values, and entertainment.

Employing New Institutional Economics as a methodology, the book puts together historical evidence with institutional analysis, offering an interdisciplinary lens through economics, political science, strategy, and behavioral theory. Richly supported by ancient sources, inscriptions, and a vast modern bibliography, this work not only explains ancient Athens but also proposes its socioeconomic pattern as a guide for modern societal challenges in economic governance and democracy.