Summary: The purpose of this article is to examine the different progress of the post-communist w... more Summary: The purpose of this article is to examine the different progress of the post-communist world in consolidating democracy, in order to determine the suitability of a collective or group-based examination. The article argues that the post-communist countries should not be analyzed as a single unit, but separately into groups according to the progress in consolidating democracy. Conceptually, the article utilizes Linz and Stepan's five arenas of consolidated democracy. The article employs comparative methodology using empirical data from the Freedom House Nations in Transit reports and specific country reports comparing the particular problems each of the separate groups face. The article highlights the differences in the progress in consolidating democracy between three groups of post-communist countries: the current member of the European Union (EU), the countries of Southeastern Europe, and the non-Baltic former Soviet countries.
The re-emergence of the civil society idea in the writings of the Communist dissidents in the 70s... more The re-emergence of the civil society idea in the writings of the Communist dissidents in the 70s and 80s placed the civil society at the core of the democratic transition in post-Communist Europe. In turn, civil society has been a dominant concept in all post-1990 academic literature, which considers it an essential element of the process of democratization. 1 Academic debates have widely acknowledged that civil society stands at the core of democratization, since without civic engagement there is no basis for a
Abstract: Based on a generational cross-country survey of people born in 1971 and 1991 in all the... more Abstract: Based on a generational cross-country survey of people born in 1971 and 1991 in all the Western Balkans countries, this opinion paper presents the “tip of the iceberg” of the two generations' views on the regional past, present and future. Why these two generations? The 1971 generation was the last Yugoslav generation which lived to see the former system and witnessed its end. These people entered their adulthood as the old system was crumbling over their heads and had to carry the heavy burden of the transition. The ...
This paper examines the impact of external actors upon the development of civil society in Macedo... more This paper examines the impact of external actors upon the development of civil society in Macedonia since 1990. The study analyzes the development of civil society as an integral element of democratization and argues that although external actors have facilitated the development of civil society in the case of Macedonia, their success has been conditioned upon contextual knowledge and local support. The analysis is structured around the impact of the external actors on the following elements: the financing of civil society ...
This paper examines the conditionality in relation to fundamental rights during and
after the vis... more This paper examines the conditionality in relation to fundamental rights during and after the visa liberalisation dialogues that took place between the European Commission and national governments of the Western Balkans countries in 2009 and 2010. Conceptually, this paper uses the visa liberalisation to study the interactions between the conditionality mechanism and securitisation paradigm in the context of the European Union (EU) justice, freedom and security area. Analysing both the formal benchmarking process and data from stakeholders’ interviews, this paper demonstrates the securitisation and side-lining of fundamental rights during and in the aftermath of the visa negotiations. As a result, this paper informs of unwanted effects of conditionality and questions the role of the EU in promoting fundamental rights.
This Introduction explains the origins of the project of exploring citizenship and citizenship-re... more This Introduction explains the origins of the project of exploring citizenship and citizenship-related issues in the framework of Europeanisation in the new states in South East Europe. It defines the terminology used in the contributions and explains the conceptual underpinnings of the project and the structure of the edited collection. Finally, these introductory remarks also give an overview of the contributions to the special issue of Perspectives on European Politics and Societies entitled, ‘The governance of citizenship practices in the post-Yugoslav states: The impact of Europeanisation.'
This paper examines the implications of the visa liberalisation dialogues which took place betwee... more This paper examines the implications of the visa liberalisation dialogues which took place between the European Commission and national governments of the Western Balkans for the citizenship regimes of the countries concerned. The visa liberalisation process is approached as a tool of Europeanisation of the area of justice, freedom and security and as an exercise of EU conditionality. The analysis reflects on the negotiations for visa liberalisation as well as the mechanisms established for post-visa liberalisation monitoring. Looking both at the formal benchmarking process and through interviews with stakeholders at the national level, the paper traces how the visa liberalisation process affected the status and rights dimension of citizenship in the region.
Summary: The purpose of this article is to examine the different progress of the post-communist w... more Summary: The purpose of this article is to examine the different progress of the post-communist world in consolidating democracy, in order to determine the suitability of a collective or group-based examination. The article argues that the post-communist countries should not be analyzed as a single unit, but separately into groups according to the progress in consolidating democracy. Conceptually, the article utilizes Linz and Stepan's five arenas of consolidated democracy. The article employs comparative methodology using empirical data from the Freedom House Nations in Transit reports and specific country reports comparing the particular problems each of the separate groups face. The article highlights the differences in the progress in consolidating democracy between three groups of post-communist countries: the current member of the European Union (EU), the countries of Southeastern Europe, and the non-Baltic former Soviet countries.
The re-emergence of the civil society idea in the writings of the Communist dissidents in the 70s... more The re-emergence of the civil society idea in the writings of the Communist dissidents in the 70s and 80s placed the civil society at the core of the democratic transition in post-Communist Europe. In turn, civil society has been a dominant concept in all post-1990 academic literature, which considers it an essential element of the process of democratization. 1 Academic debates have widely acknowledged that civil society stands at the core of democratization, since without civic engagement there is no basis for a
Abstract: Based on a generational cross-country survey of people born in 1971 and 1991 in all the... more Abstract: Based on a generational cross-country survey of people born in 1971 and 1991 in all the Western Balkans countries, this opinion paper presents the “tip of the iceberg” of the two generations' views on the regional past, present and future. Why these two generations? The 1971 generation was the last Yugoslav generation which lived to see the former system and witnessed its end. These people entered their adulthood as the old system was crumbling over their heads and had to carry the heavy burden of the transition. The ...
This paper examines the impact of external actors upon the development of civil society in Macedo... more This paper examines the impact of external actors upon the development of civil society in Macedonia since 1990. The study analyzes the development of civil society as an integral element of democratization and argues that although external actors have facilitated the development of civil society in the case of Macedonia, their success has been conditioned upon contextual knowledge and local support. The analysis is structured around the impact of the external actors on the following elements: the financing of civil society ...
This paper examines the conditionality in relation to fundamental rights during and
after the vis... more This paper examines the conditionality in relation to fundamental rights during and after the visa liberalisation dialogues that took place between the European Commission and national governments of the Western Balkans countries in 2009 and 2010. Conceptually, this paper uses the visa liberalisation to study the interactions between the conditionality mechanism and securitisation paradigm in the context of the European Union (EU) justice, freedom and security area. Analysing both the formal benchmarking process and data from stakeholders’ interviews, this paper demonstrates the securitisation and side-lining of fundamental rights during and in the aftermath of the visa negotiations. As a result, this paper informs of unwanted effects of conditionality and questions the role of the EU in promoting fundamental rights.
This Introduction explains the origins of the project of exploring citizenship and citizenship-re... more This Introduction explains the origins of the project of exploring citizenship and citizenship-related issues in the framework of Europeanisation in the new states in South East Europe. It defines the terminology used in the contributions and explains the conceptual underpinnings of the project and the structure of the edited collection. Finally, these introductory remarks also give an overview of the contributions to the special issue of Perspectives on European Politics and Societies entitled, ‘The governance of citizenship practices in the post-Yugoslav states: The impact of Europeanisation.'
This paper examines the implications of the visa liberalisation dialogues which took place betwee... more This paper examines the implications of the visa liberalisation dialogues which took place between the European Commission and national governments of the Western Balkans for the citizenship regimes of the countries concerned. The visa liberalisation process is approached as a tool of Europeanisation of the area of justice, freedom and security and as an exercise of EU conditionality. The analysis reflects on the negotiations for visa liberalisation as well as the mechanisms established for post-visa liberalisation monitoring. Looking both at the formal benchmarking process and through interviews with stakeholders at the national level, the paper traces how the visa liberalisation process affected the status and rights dimension of citizenship in the region.
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Papers by Simonida Kacarska
after the visa liberalisation dialogues that took place between the European Commission and
national governments of the Western Balkans countries in 2009 and 2010. Conceptually, this
paper uses the visa liberalisation to study the interactions between the conditionality mechanism
and securitisation paradigm in the context of the European Union (EU) justice, freedom and
security area. Analysing both the formal benchmarking process and data from stakeholders’
interviews, this paper demonstrates the securitisation and side-lining of fundamental rights during
and in the aftermath of the visa negotiations. As a result, this paper informs of unwanted effects of
conditionality and questions the role of the EU in promoting fundamental rights.
after the visa liberalisation dialogues that took place between the European Commission and
national governments of the Western Balkans countries in 2009 and 2010. Conceptually, this
paper uses the visa liberalisation to study the interactions between the conditionality mechanism
and securitisation paradigm in the context of the European Union (EU) justice, freedom and
security area. Analysing both the formal benchmarking process and data from stakeholders’
interviews, this paper demonstrates the securitisation and side-lining of fundamental rights during
and in the aftermath of the visa negotiations. As a result, this paper informs of unwanted effects of
conditionality and questions the role of the EU in promoting fundamental rights.