Δημόσια χρηματοδότηση τριτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης στην Ελλάδα & Ε.Ε. Συγκριτική αξιολόγηση επιδομάτων και κοινωνικών ανισοτήτων

Ευσταθίου, Μαρία Καλλιόπη

Public funding of higher education in Greece and the EU : a comparative evaluation of student support and social inequalities

Master Thesis

Author

Ευσταθίου, Μαρία Καλλιόπη

Date

2026-03

Abstract

This thesis examines public funding of higher education in Greece and its relationship with social and educational inequalities within the framework of social policy. Higher education is conceptualized as a key mechanism of social mobility, whose effectiveness is influenced by the level and targeting of public funding. The study draws on quantitative data from international and European databases (OECD, Eurostat, Our World in Data), as well as institutional and legislative sources concerning higher education funding and student welfare in Greece. Furthermore, a comparative approach is adopted with European Union member states in order to highlight differences in both the level and structure of public expenditure, as well as in student support policies. The findings indicate that public funding for higher education in Greece has consistently ranked among the lowest in the European Union, alongside Luxembourg, remaining below the EU average as a percentage of GDP. Although a seemingly convergent trend is observed in 2022, this is primarily attributable to a decline in the EU average compared to previous years rather than to a substantial increase in Greek expenditure. At the same time, expenditure per student continues to be among the lowest in Europe and is characterized by limited stability, a condition that constrains the development of coherent and long-term student welfare policies. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of student grants, housing, and catering services as instruments for mitigating social inequalities, as well as on the consequences of underfunding for the quality of studies and the brain drain phenomenon. Overall, the thesis demonstrates that higher education can contribute meaningfully to the reduction of social and educational inequalities only under conditions of adequate, stable, and well-targeted public funding, combined with the strengthening of student welfare as a central pillar of social policy.

Postgraduate Studies Programme

Εφαρμοσμένη Δημόσια Οικονομική και Πολιτική

Department

Σχολή Οικονομικών, Επιχειρηματικών και Διεθνών Σπουδών. Τμήμα Οικονομικής Επιστήμης

Number of pages

107

Language

Greek

URI

https://dione.lib.unipi.gr/xmlui/handle/unipi/19098

Collections

Τμήμα Οικονομικής Επιστήμης

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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as
Αναφορά Δημιουργού-Μη Εμπορική Χρήση-Όχι Παράγωγα Έργα 3.0 Ελλάδα