The book aims to examine the regulatory phenomenon, as well as the Independent Authorities that express it institutionally, from the perspective of political science but also through a broad socio-historical lens, in order to research it with the greatest possible extent, objectivity, and consistency, while also enabling the formation of a substantive radical critique of it.
Its goal is to highlight the interdependence of the institution of Independent Authorities with the respective economic and political relations, but mainly its current relationship with the political strategy of neoliberalism and the broader trend of state weakening.
Additionally, an outline of the Greek regulatory reality is attempted, along with a categorization and comparative analysis of the existing Independent Authorities in Greece, while further analyzing one of the categories, specifically that of the authorities for the protection of rights.
The particular position they hold within the Greek institutional framework, their capabilities, and the limits of their actions are described, and the distance between their role on a symbolic level and the actual influence they exert is highlighted.
While they are presented as significant links in the state structure and as precious adornments of the power system, in practice they end up being institutions devoid of content and substance, as they have never emancipated themselves and gained corresponding power and influence, thus proving that they are counterfeit jewels of power.
