1st Edition
Structural Origins of Post-Yugoslav Regimes Elites, Civil Society and the State
This analysis of the Yugoslav democratization process explains the variation of the regime outcome within a structuralist framework. Focusing on the post-socialist world, it goes beyond ethnicity and elite agency to bring the role of class and the state into discussions of third wave democracies. Offering an in-depth study of four post-Yugoslav cases and relying on extensive field work into how civil society, state structures and the elite agency influence the trajectories of Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia after end of socialism, the analysis also considers the impact of the European Union on domestic conditions. The author argues that no single factor explains the occurrence of democracy. It is the combination of an autonomous civil society, a non- captured state and ruling elites willing to implement democratic reforms. Concomitant with this, the analysis provides evidence that the only sufficient condition is non-captured state structures. State capacity, therefore, plays a central role in democratisation. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of Eastern Europe, South-eastern Europe, The EU, Democratisation and also for policy makers and Nongovernmental organisations.
Introduction
Chapter 1: Unraveling Post-Yugoslav Transitions through Structural Realities and Elite Dynamics
Chapter 2: Regime Outcome in the 1990s: Democracy, Autocracy and Hybrid Regime
Chapter 3: Regime Outcome in the 2000s: Delayed democracy, authoritarian and hybrid regimes
Chapter 4: Illiberal trends after 2010 in the post-Yugoslav successor states
Chapter 5: Conclusion: Democratization Dynamics in Post-Socialist Europe
References
Biography
Valentina Petrović is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Sociology at the University of Zurich. She previously studied at the American University of Beirut, the University of Zurich and Sciences Po Bordeaux. She holds a doctoral degree from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. Her dissertation examined the in- fluence of classes, elites, civil society and state structures in the democratization process in post-communist countries, with a regional focus on the Yugoslav successor states. Her research interests include democratization, Europeanization, political mobilization and comparative political economy in the post-communist context.
