Valia S. Aranitou is Associate professor of Political Sociology at the Department of Political Science of the University of Crete, Greece. She studied Economics and Economic Sociology in Athens and in Paris. In her doctoral thesis she explored the case of small traders in post-war Greece within the context of social identity and political behavior. Her research interests include: organized interests and their role in the political system, recent developments in labour relations and the economic prerequisites of Democracy. She is the scientific director of INEMY-ESEE the research institute of the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship.