The informal social solidarity civil society sector in Greece at times of crisis

Since 2008, Greece has been at the epicentre of the international economic and financial crisis, facing the deepest recession in its modern history. While the country has been associated with an anaemic civil society sector, the emergence of informal social solidarity networks has played a decisive role in supporting vulnerable socioeconomic groups. This article, using data from the LIVEWHAT project and applying a mixed-method design, sets out the main attributes of the informal civil society sector and elaborates on how solidarity actions are framed and practised. The article contributes to related research on the potential transformations of the civil society sector at times of socioeconomic and political crisis and methodologically points to the value of mixed-method designs to acquire an enriched understanding of specific facets of the phenomenon under study. Moreover, it underlines the necessity of developing adequate assessments that embrace both formal and informal entities as equally important actors in the civil society sphere.