My data is better than yours

Has the purchasing power of Greeks slipped below the Bulgarians', or is it slightly below the EU average and improving? Depends on how to frame the question and what data you use.

A study by a researcher at the Center of Planning and Economic Research, published in June in KEPE's "Economic Developments" bulletin, and which concluded that the Greek hourly wage's purchasing power parity has dropped below Bulgaria's, ignited a delayed firestorm about the failures of the government's policies.

The author, Vlasis Missos, has found that real hourly wages in Greece have dropped 23.7%, the biggest such drop in the EU and, from a ranking of 8-9 spots from the bottom, Greece has slipped to second to last. The Greek hourly wage's purchasing power parity matched Bulgaria's in 2020 and has fallen behind since.

Another KEPE article, by researcher Ioannis Holezas, published...