Dr Giannis Prinos
For Giannis, social research is driven by the need for a deeper understanding of the development of contemporary urban society and its unequal outcomes, alongside an explicit engagement with public policy; particularly social policy and the challenges it faces. By extension, this often entails the exposure of policy “myths” and critique of the inadequacy of both current conceptualisations and applied policy solutions. It is only through a combination of empiricism, detachment and theoretical engagement that researchers can truly understand the social world and begin to strive for a human coexistence that is more equitable, harmonious and meaningful than it has been up to now.
Much Giannis' research interests are interlinked, overlap and are not so easy to compartmentalize, conceptually or thematically. Nonetheless, three dominant themes to date can be discerned: 1. Public governance and, specifically, the governance of behaviour as it is reflected in the design, strategic goals and applied policies of modern social welfare programmes, as well as their associated ‘governance technologies’, narratives and legitimizing discourses in culture, society and politics. 2. Developing a theoretically-informed understanding of the power relations and socioeconomic processes associated with group stigmatisation / marginalisation and the efforts for the (re)integration of vulnerable social groups (i.e. the homeless, people with mental health problems, ex-offenders, welfare recipients, drug users, etc.). The underlying goal is to link these processes -as they are reflected in applied policy- to the realms of governance, the concept of social citizenship and the role of the Voluntary Community & Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE) within the broader context of social welfare transformations, and the impact of community wealth-building strategies such as the ‘Preston Model’. 3. Co-operative models of socio-economic organisation as a response to a 'post-neoliberal' society.
Currently, as member of the Social Innovation Team in the University of Central Lancashire, Giannis is investigating the Preston Model examining the ways people, organisations and businesses in Preston perceive the model, focusing on its creation, impact, further development and future prospects.
- Ph.D. Social Policy, Sheffield Hallam, 2016
- MRes. Sociology – Social Research, Vrije University of Amsterdam, 2012
- M.Sc. Computer Science, University of Manchester, 2006
- B.Sc. (Hons.) Social Policy & Social Anthropology, Athens Panteion University of Social & Political Sciences, 2001
- Social Policy, Co-operative Studies
- Member of the Greek Sociology Association
Key themes of the research concerning the Preston Model include: an examination of whether the Preston Model represents a re-thinking of co-operatives and co-operation; the evolving role of anchor institutions; how it differs from other urban regeneration projects; its potential ‘transferability’ to other areas nationally or internationally; the question of whether it’s a leadership project or approximates a social movement; the extent of support in Preston communities for co-operative values and principles and whether this initiative can instigate processes of wider socio-cultural change in the area based on co-operative ethos, solidarity and equality rather than individualism, competition and marketization; and the model’s political aspect influence in its development.
- Social Innovation Team, University of Central Lancashire
- CERN
- 'The Preston Model through the eyes of its people'.
- Manchester Co-operative College Centenary Conference, Manchester, 26-28 November, 2019.
- Prinos, I. (2017). “The Crisis and Urban Marginalisation in Greece”. Paper presented to the 2017 ESPAnet Conference: “New Horizons of European Social Policy: Risks, Opportunities and Challenges”, Lisbon, Portugal, September 2017.
- Prinos, I. (2016). “The Impact of Service-Users’ Input in Social Support-Oriented Third Sector Organisations’ Planning and Activities: The Case of a UK TSO”. Paper presented to the 2016 ESPAnet Conference, Erasmus University of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, September 2016.
- Prinos, I. (2015). “Inequality and Social Protection at the Local Level: Undermining or Reinforcing Social Policy?” Invited paper presented to the Department of Sociology Seminar Series, Athens, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Greece, December 2015.
- Prinos, I. (2014). “The Greek Crisis, the Welfare State and the Third Sector: Any Hope? Paper presented to the international symposium “The Third Sector, the State and the Market: Challenges and Opportunities in an Era of Austerity”. Sheffield Hallam University, UK, 28 October 2014.
- Prinos, I. (2014). “Public Policy, The Third Sector and Social Welfare Governance”. Short paper presented to the PhD Showcase Seminar Series, CRESR, Sheffield Hallam University, UK, September 2014.
Telephone:44 (0) 1772 89 5669
Email: Email:Dr Giannis Prinos