Mixed research methods in political science and governance: approaches and applications.

It is widely accepted that an appropriate combination of quantitative and qualitative methods provides a better understanding of research problems as opposed to using them separately. This mixed approach is trying to cover any gaps and weaknesses between the quantitative and qualitative research. Furthermore, triangulation is a common way to combine quantitative and qualitative approaches, which has been used in numerous studies in order to detect different aspects of the research question as well as because the deficiencies of one method are often the forces of the other. The use of multiple methods reflects an attempt to understand and study the phenomenon under in depth investigation, while triangulation is not as much a results-validation strategy, but more of an alternative proposal for validation, through which the breadth, depth and consistency of the methodological processes is increased. There are different types of triangulation, but a mainstream process may include but is not limited at: (a) data triangulation, (b) investigator triangulation, and (c) methodological triangulation, in the version of triangulation of methods belonging to different paradigms. This paper will study and analyze the importance of mixed methods in political science and especially in governance and public policy research by focusing on specific examples of related research and outcomes. The main reason is to assess the importance of mixed methods in achieving better understanding of the social problems and transitions in the post-covid-19 era and thus shed light in contemporary issues related to governance and public policies.

Mixed research methods in political science and governance: approaches and applications

It is widely accepted that an appropriate combination of quantitative and qualitative methods provides a better understanding of research problems as opposed to using them separately. This mixed approach is trying to cover any gaps and weaknesses between the quantitative and qualitative research. Furthermore, triangulation is a common way to combine quantitative and qualitative approaches, which has been used in numerous studies in order to detect different aspects of the research question as well as because the deficiencies of one method are often the forces of the other. The use of multiple methods reflects an attempt to understand and study the phenomenon under in depth investigation, while triangulation is not as much a results-validation strategy, but more of an alternative proposal for validation, through which the breadth, depth and consistency of the methodological processes is increased. There are different types of triangulation, but a mainstream process may include but is not limited at: (a) data triangulation, (b) investigator triangulation, and (c) methodological triangulation, in the version of triangulation of methods belonging to different paradigms. This paper will study and analyze the importance of mixed methods in political science and especially in governance and public policy research by focusing on specific examples of related research and outcomes. The main reason is to assess the importance of mixed methods in achieving better understanding of the social problems and transitions in the post-covid-19 era and thus shed light in contemporary issues related to governance and public policies.

Learning for Democracy: Experiential learning of EU as a tool for European citizenship and democratic values awareness

Undoubtedly, the modern democratic framework of higher education has to cultivate students' relevant skills such as democratic participation, cooperation, taking responsibility, strengthen trust in public institutions and constitutions, freedom of expression and decision-making, as prerequisites for future's active citizens. Exactly these goals are advancing in the student communities, the function of which has continuously served the principle of democratic representation. Therefore, through the understanding of learning as a social activity and a vehicle of innovation and productivity in society, we may conclude that higher education can be - and should be a multilevel way for social cohesion and promotion of democratic values by preparing students to be active citizens. The main aim of this paper is to assess the role of higher education in the current challenging circumstances, in the context of addressing new and old problems while fostering fairness, diversity and social inclusion, broadly, democracy and social cohesion. The paper will analyze the importance of higher education institutions in order to achieve that goals, by focusing on the usage of a combination of diverse and innovative methods and new technologies but without undermining academic and institutional integrity. A case study of an EU institution simulation will also be analyzed in order to show the importance of such actions and alternative ways of learning for achieving the enforcement of active citizens. The analysis will lead to policy proposals for integrating new methods to fundamental academic values in the current context in order to foster democracy and social cohesion.

Covid-19 has brought back the necessity of the welfare state: The Greek case

In Europe, despite systemic, functional and structural differences, the welfare state has been a key component of the state after World War II. In recent decades, the former has been accused for inflating government spending and turning people into passive recipients of benefits and services. For this reason, and for several more, such as globalization, the transforming nature of employment and the changing family patterns, the welfare state has undergone the necessary reforms in order to combine the effectiveness and efficiency of its services and benefits. The outbreak of 2009 economic crisis has created tremendous problems to the welfare state, especially in the hardest hit countries, such as Greece. Although these structural problems and inefficiencies existed, the Greek state in general and the National Health System (NHS) in particular have handled the coronavirus successfully, making the country an example for the others but also stressing the necessity to consolidate the welfare state and specifically the NHS. This paper aims to analyze the way the Greek state handled the coronavirus crisis while underlie the importance of the welfare state especially in times of crisis and the challenges that coronavirus has created.

The contribution of CSR during the covid-19 period in Greece: A step forward

The spread of the Covid-19 brought global institutions, societies, states and economies in a critical position as they encounter a new worldwide multilevel crisis. At the same time, states have had to handle this crisis acquiring an interventionist role, protecting the social and economic cohesion, providing better health care services for their citizens and investing in scientific research, as a means to restrict this new pandemic. In order to handle that situation and its consequences, the use of all the available resources became necessary as well as the improvement of the cooperation between the private and the public sector. In Greece private sector has shown an unprecedented willingness for Greece’s CSR tradition, to contribute government's efforts.

AI transforming Healthcare Management during Covid-19 pandemic

The dawn of artificial intelligence (AI) as a platform for improved health care provides unparalleled opportunity to enhance patient and clinical team performance, minimize costs, and reduce the health effects of the community. It provides a broad description of the legal and legislative context of the AI tools intended for the implementation of health care;highlights the need for equality, accessibility, the need for a human rights goal for the work;and identifies important factors for further advancement. AI framework describes the obstacles, drawbacks, and best practices for AI development, adoption, and management. It brings in a paradigm shift to healthcare, driven by rising clinical data access and rapid advancement in analytical techniques. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to revolutionize the practice of medicine and change the delivery of healthcare. This paper discusses the role of artificial intelligence in the advancement of health care and associated fields. It also discusses, the value of artificial intelligence in various healthcare sectors' transformation.