Stagnation and Drift in the Western Balkans: The Challenges of Political, Economic and Social Change (Interdisciplinary Studies on Central and Eastern Europe)

Product Description 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. About the Author Claire Gordon is a Teaching Fellow in East European Politics at the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science (United Kingdom) Marko Kmezic is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for South East European Studies at the University of Graz (Austria). Jasmina Opardija is the Programme Manager of the Regional Research Promotion Programme (RRPP) in the Western Balkans at the Interfaculty Institute for Central and Eastern Europe, University of Fribourg. She holds an MA in East European Studies from the Free University of Berlin.