Embracing Democracy in the Western Balkans

Embracing Democracy in the Western Balkans
Author: Lenard J. Cohen
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011-11-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9781421404332

2012 Outstanding Academic Title, Choice Magazine Embracing Democracy in the Western Balkans offers a comparative, cross-regional study of the politics and economics of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Albania from 1999 to the present. It was during this period that the first wave of post-communist regime transition ended and the region became more deeply involved in the challenges of democratic consolidation. Lenard J. Cohen and John R. Lampe explore the legacies of communist rule, the impact of incentives and impediments on reform, and the magnetic pull of European Union accession. The authors ask whether the Western Balkans are embracing democracy by creating functional, resilient institutions—governmental, administrative, journalistic, and economic—and fostering popular trust in the legitimacy of those institutions.

The State of Local Democracy in the Western Balkans

The State of Local Democracy in the Western Balkans
Author: Elena Gadjanova
Publisher:
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2006
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

A prime political objective of the EU is to bring long-lasting stability to, and foster democratisation in, the Western Balkans. This study provides a snapshot of the state of democracy at the local level in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia (including Kosovo) and Montenegro. It examines a number of factors such as: degree of fiscal and legal autonomy; provisions for citizens' involvement in decision-making; implementation of minority rights; civil society; media. It also looks at the strength and salience of central state institutions, issues of self-determination and ethnicity, and past international involvement. An analysis of the achievements and challenges to democracy at the local level is done on a country-by-country basis.

Media Constrained by Context

Media Constrained by Context
Author: Kristina Irion
Publisher: Central European University Press
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2018-10-20
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9633862604

This books draws a comparative balance of twenty years' international media assistance in the five countries of the Western Balkans. The central question was what happens to imported models when they are transposed onto the newly evolving media systems of transitional societies. Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia undertook a range of media reforms to conform with accession requirements of the European Union and the standards of the Council of Europe, among others. The essays explore the nexus between the democratic transformation of the media and international media assistance. The cross-national analysis concludes that the effects of international assistance are highly constrained by the local context. From today's vantage point it becomes obvious, that scaling media assistance does not necessarily improve outcomes. The experiences in the region suggest that imported solutions have not been very cognitive in all aspects of local conditions but international strategies tent to be rather schematic and lacked strategic approaches to promote media policy stability, credible media reform and implementation. The book offers valuable insights into the nature and effects of media assistance and the strategies deployed by international aid agencies, local political forces, media professionals, civil society organizations and other actors.

The Western Balkans in the World

The Western Balkans in the World
Author: Florian Bieber
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2019-06-26
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0429516495

This book provides a detailed understanding of how different types of engagements impact upon the reform and EU integration of the Western Balkan region. It examines the influence of Russia, China, Turkey and the UAE in the region and analyses the range of existing links. Contributors offer an academic and multifaceted perspective of the role of external and non-Western actors in the region that goes beyond, on the one hand, the tendency of some Western decision makers to perceive all engagement by third powers as a sinister threat and, on the other, the view of regional governments of all external involvement as a boon coming at a time of Western neglect and reduced foreign investments. By looking at the importance of Russia, Turkey, China and the UAE in the Western Balkans, the book sheds light on one key arena of global competition, offers new insights on the strengths and weaknesses of Euro–Atlantic integration and advances our knowledge of foreign policy and its economic, social and security dimensions for small and medium-sized countries. It will be of interest to academics, postgraduate and research students, and think-tankers with research interest in IR and Southeast European Studies. European decision makers will also gain an insight into the extent of non-Western influence in the region.

Electoral Violence in the Western Balkans

Electoral Violence in the Western Balkans
Author: Michal Mochtak
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2017-07-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1351846515

Since the end of the Cold War there have been a number of cases where the democratization process has been turbulent, or even violent. Addressing electoral violence, its evolution and impact in the Western Balkans, this book explores the conflict logic of election and tries to understand its basic patterns. Two decades of electoral competition in the region are analysed to identify an interesting evolution of electoral violence in terms of forms, actors, motivations and dynamics. By identifying the potential drivers of electoral violence and explaining the escalation and stimulus of violence-related events, the author combines a theoretical approach with original data to emphasise the variability of the phenomenon and its evolution in the region. The book will appeal to students and scholars of post-communist Europe and democratisation processes and the Western Balkans in particular. It should also be of interest to political advisors and those involved in developing or implementing democratisation programmes.

Government at a Glance: Western Balkans

Government at a Glance: Western Balkans
Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2020-07-07
Genre:
ISBN: 9264701184

Government at a Glance: Western Balkans presents information on public governance in the Western Balkan region – covering Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, and compares it to OECD and OECD-EU countries.

The Rise of Authoritarianism in the Western Balkans

The Rise of Authoritarianism in the Western Balkans
Author: Florian Bieber
Publisher:
Total Pages: 155
Release: 2020
Genre: Democracy
ISBN: 9783030221508

This book explores the stagnation of democracy in the Western Balkans over the last decade. The author maps regional features of rising authoritarianism that mirror larger global trends and, in doing so, outlines the core mechanisms of authoritarian rule in the Balkans, with a particular focus on Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. These mechanisms include the creation of constant crises, the use of external powers to balance outside influences, as well as state capture. The authoritarian patterns exist alongside formal democratic institutions, resulting in competitive authoritarian regimes that use social polarization to retain power. As the countries of the Western Balkans aspire, at least formally, to join the European Union, authoritarianism is often informal. Florian Bieber is Professor for Southeast European History and Politics and Director of the Centre for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, Austria. He coordinates the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) and has been a visiting professor and fellow at Cornell, NYU, Central European University, and LSE.--

Stagnation and Drift in the Western Balkans

Stagnation and Drift in the Western Balkans
Author: Marko Kmezic
Publisher: Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Balkan Peninsula
ISBN: 9783034311526

This volume allows a new generation of scholars, from the Balkans and beyond, to shed light on some of the struggles the region faces. The combination of post-communist and post-conflict transition, together with the current economic and financial crisis, pose difficult challenges for the Western Balkans. What is the state of democracy in the region? Are the countries of the Western Balkans stuck somewhere between authoritarianism and genuine democracy? What are the remaining obstacles to state building? What effect has the crisis had on young people in the Western Balkans? These are some of the questions the authors of this volume seek to answer. The studies look at different countries and combine methods from various disciplines ranging from political science, history, economics and law to sociology, anthropology and cultural studies.

Western Intervention in the Balkans

Western Intervention in the Balkans
Author: Roger D. Petersen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages:
Release: 2011-09-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1139503308

Conflicts involve powerful experiences. The residue of these experiences is captured by the concept and language of emotion. Indiscriminate killing creates fear; targeted violence produces anger and a desire for vengeance; political status reversals spawn resentment; cultural prejudices sustain ethnic contempt. These emotions can become resources for political entrepreneurs. A broad range of Western interventions are based on a view of human nature as narrowly rational. Correspondingly, intervention policy generally aims to alter material incentives ('sticks and carrots') to influence behavior. In response, poorer and weaker actors who wish to block or change this Western implemented 'game' use emotions as resources. This book examines the strategic use of emotion in the conflicts and interventions occurring in the Western Balkans over a twenty-year period. The book concentrates on the conflicts among Albanian and Slavic populations (Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, South Serbia), along with some comparisons to Bosnia.