BARBULLUSHI O. - Political and Economic Transformation in Southeastern Europe since the End of the Cold War (20h)
This course explores the dynamics of democratic transition and consolidation, post-communist state-building and Europeanization in the context of Southeast Europe, with particular focus on the Western Balkans. The course raises important questions with regard to the main nature of democratization and EU accession processes of the Western Balkans, the relationship between the dual processes of state-building and EU accession on the one hand, and democratic transformation on the other. It also interrogates the importance of communist legac(ies) in the Western Balkans and the impact that ‘transition experience’ has had on processes of democratization and transformation in the region. To this end, the course draws on the vast literature on post-communist transition, democratization studies, state building in Southeast Europe and Europeanization studies. In addition, it sets to compare the experience of the Western Balkans with the post-Cold War experience of Central and Eastern European countries.
Professor Odeta BARBULLUSHI