Contemporary Socio-Political Systems In The Balkans

Timetable

Module aim (aims)

The aim of the course is to give explanation of origins and evolution of modern socio-political systems in the Balkan region. Major themes explored are: the evolution of political developments, electoral and party systems within the overall social context. 

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

Basic orientation in the field of politics.

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction. The Balkans as a term in social and political sciences.

Week 2: Greek political system in the era of socio-economic crisis (2011-2022).

Week 3: Political and social aspects of the Bulgarian system after the “Fall of Nations” (1990-2022).

Week 4: Romania’s democratic transition (1990-2022).

Week 5: Albania’s collapse and reconstruction (1990-2022).

Week 6: Federation-confederation-separateness. Evolution of the constitutional system in Serbia and Montenegro (1991-2008).

Week 7: Serbia. Current political trends and their dynamics (2008-2022).

Week 8: Structural mechanisms of power in contemporary Montenegro (2008-2022).

Week 9: Evolution of Kosovo’s political system (1999-2022).

Week 10: Croatia’s postwar democratic transition (1991-2022). 

Week 11: Reconsidering consociational governing in Bosnia&Herzegovina.

Week 12: Ethnic aspects of constitutional and state system of the Republic of North Macedonia.

Week 13: The case of consociationalism in North Macedonia.

Week 14: Final test.

Week 15: Conclusions. Socio-political systems in the Balkans „from the outside”. Analysis-rankings-perspectives.

Reading list

Megan Neill Andrés, Power-sharing in post-war divided societies: the failure of consociationalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina, „Strife Journal” 2021, no. 15/16, pp. 143-152; Adem Beha, Gëzim Selaci, Statebuilding without exit strategy in Kosovo, „Region” 2018, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 97-124; Florian Bieber, The Rise (and fall) of Balkan stabilitocracies „Horizons” 2018, no. 10, pp. 176–185; Florian Bieber, The Rise of authoritarianism in the Western Balkans, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020 (New Perspectives on South-East Europe), pp. 155; Climate and energy snapshot: Bulgaria, Romania, eds. Felix Heilmann, Alexander Reitzenstein, Ada Ámin, pp. 20-30; Claudiu Craciun, Romania’s second democratic transition, in: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. Intenationa policy analysis, january 2017, pp. 11; Miltiades Kipas, The transition of Southeastern European societies towards civil democracy and market economy: problems and perspectives, „Politique et sociétés à Chypre aujourd'hui” 2020, vol. 46, pp. 228-246. Marko Kmezić, Rule of law and democracy in the Western Balkans: addressing the gap between policies and practice, „Southeast European and Black Sea Studies” 2020, vol. 201, pp. 183-198; Political history of the Balkans (1989-2018), eds. József Dúró, Zoltán Egeresi, Dialóg Campus, Budapest 2020, pp. 174; Political systems of the Former Yugoslavia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia, ed. Tomasz Bichta, Warszawa 2017, ss. 294.