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EU Enlargement Policy between the Chronological Precedence of the Western Balkans and the Geopolitical Urgency in the Eastern Neighborhood: A Realist Perspective
No full textThis study adopts a realist approach to explore how geopolitical factors influence
the European Union’s (EU) decision to expand into neighbouring regions
of strategic importance or vulnerability to major powers’ influence. It specifically
examines the obstacles posed by the absence of a unanimous stance on
“pre-scheduled” accessions, as seen in the earlier “eastern enlargement” rounds.
It is argued that the present geopoliticized EU enlargement policy seems to
be guided by realist factors, although it is characterized by an incongruity between
strategic rhetoric and strategic actions. This inconsistency between expressed
intentions and actual measures is more evident in the Western Balkans
than in the Eastern neighbourhood. Through the selected, broadly set
realist elements – groupism, egoism and power-centrism – the EU’s foreign
policy strategy and behaviour are examined, searching for a gap between the
discursive and practical domains in both regions. The research considers that
the EU’s response has not predominantly been strategic but rather tactical, reflecting
the enlargement policy’s longstanding deficiencies, coupled with the
urgent need to extend commitments to the eastern partners facing immediate
security threats. Such tendencies are disadvantageous for the Western Balkans,
which became a lower priority for the EU despite its chronological precedence
in the enlargement domain. While ideally, both enlargement regions
should be granted an “accession timetable” along with on-ground democratic
reforms, the authors highlight that due to differing geopolitical dynamics
and pressure, the outcomes for the two regions may either diverge in terms of
potential favouring of the new candidates or, perhaps more likely, converge –
meaning that the accession of either region might be postponed once the geopolitical
urgency subsides
Upholding Hierarchies of Knowledge Production: Mundane Obstacles to Global International Relations
No full textDebates about global international relations (IR) have been ongoing for over a decade, yet academic practice in meaningfully cooperating with Global Southern scholars has changed little. Against the backdrop of growing scholarly concerns about global inequality in knowledge production, this forum takes stock of the search for global IR and examines the academic practices and structures that hinder its progress. The contributions highlight numerous obstacles, including structural and material inequalities between researchers and institutions, visible hierarchies in funding, and seemingly mundane issues such as language barriers, stigma, stereotypes, and data ownership. Written by both Global Southern and Global Northern scholars, this forum aims to provide a balanced contribution to the growing debate about what truly global IR scholarship could look like. We argue that the search for global IR is not merely a debate about theoretical and epistemological plurality in the discipline but one with real-world ramifications. Global order at multiple levels is shaped by policies and actions underpinned by various types of data. The data collected, its agents, and the resulting knowledge are foundational components of decision-making in global politics
Populism as a Technique of Power in Serbia
No full textWhile the surge of populism in the West has attracted considerable public attention, countries often considered to be on Europe’s ‘periphery’ have largely escaped both scholarly and general interest. Political developments in Armenia, Albania, Bosnia, Georgia, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are poorly understood politically and often opaque to non-specialists. Yet the societies, economies, politics and the aspirations of the people in these countries remain closely intertwined with the rest of Europe and its development. From the perspectives of scholars from the region, this book offers an informed assessment of the role, causes and political consequences of populism in areas that are important but often ignored parts of the European political landscape
Exploring the Interplay of the Public and Decision-Makers in Defining National Interest in the Western Balkans
No full textIn this article, we argue that, in addition to decision-makers, public opinion can
play a role in the construction of the national interest. We differentiate between
two scenarios: in the first, the public opinion is divided over an issue; in the
second, the public is strongly preferring one of the alternatives. Our hypotheses
concern the ability of elites to freely formulate the national interest. In the
first scenario, we argue that elites have larger degree of freedom to formulate
the decisions in terms of national interest. In the second scenario, elites are
constrained by the public and they can formulate the decisions that partially
deviate from the public opinion, but they cannot “cross the red line” set by the
public. To test our hypothesis, we conduct a series of comparative case studies
focusing on three Western Balkans countries – Serbia, Montenegro and North
Macedonia – that can be perceived as competitive authoritarian regimes, which
offers a greater opportunity for generalization of the influence of public opinion.
We find confirmation for our hypotheses in all three countries
Participation of children in decision-making processes in the Republic of Serbia: between symbolic engagement and real influence
No full textUčešće, kao inherentno ljudsko pravo, obuhvata svakog pojedinca, uključujući
decu i mlade, i predstavlja katalizator u evoluciji njihovog društvenog položaja.
Participacija dece u donošenju odluka menja perspektivu o njihovoj ulozi u
društvu, ne gledajući ih samo kroz prizmu ranjivosti, već prepoznajući njihove
sposobnosti i veštine za aktivno oblikovanje svoje sudbine. Cilj rada jeste
istraživanje konteksta uključivanja dece u procese donošenja odluka u Republici
Srbiji, analizirajući normativni okvir za donošenje odluka, kao i načine na koje
odrasli, odgovorni za podršku i olakšavanje učešća dece u različitim okruženjima,
utiču na procese donošenja odluka u korist dece. Osnovna primenjena metode u
radu je analiza sadržaja. Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju da uprkos globalnom
uticaju Konvencije o pravima deteta, univerzalno prihvatanje prava na
pojačavanje glasova mladih ostaje delimično ostvareno u svim sferama. Na kraju,
iznose se preporuke usmerene ka povećanju mogućnosti za aktivno učešće dece u
procesima donošenja odluka, osvrćući se posebno na sistem obrazovanja.Participation, as an inherent human right, encompasses every individual, including children and young people, and is a catalyst in the evolution of their social position. Children's participation in decision-making changes the perspective of their role in society, not only seeing them through the prism of vulnerability, but recognizing their abilities and skills to actively shape their destiny. The aim of the paper is to research the context of children's inclusion in decision-making processes in the Republic of Serbia, analyzing the normative framework for decision-making, as well as the ways in which adults, responsible for supporting and facilitating children's participation in various environments, influence decision-making processes in favor of children. The main method used in the work is content analysis. The research results indicate that despite the global impact of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the universal acceptance of the right to amplify the voices of young people remains partially achieved in all spheres. In the end, recommendations are presented aimed at increasing the opportunities for active participation of children in decision making processes, with particular reference to the education system
Родна подела неплаћеног кућног рада и бриге о деци код родитеља деце раног узраста
No full textИако се деценијама уназад мушкарци све више укључују у неплаћени кућни рад и бригу о деци, подела ових активности још увек није родно егалитарна. Циљ истраживања био је да утврди у којој мери мајке и очеви деце раног узраста (0-3) деле неплаћени кућни рад и бригу о деци, као и да се испита повезаност између родне поделе ових активности и задовољства родитељском улогом. Истраживање је спроведено применом електронског упитника на пригодном узорку од 680 мајки и 164 очева, који су регрутовани методом снежне лопте. Родна подела неплаћених кућних послова и бриге о деци испитана је помоћу скале Родитељских задужења (Roskam, Valdes, & Mikolajczak, 2018), која је проширена сетом задужења која се тичу кућних послова и менталног терета бриге о домаћинству. Примењена је и скала за мерење задовољства родитељском улогом (PSOC; GibaudWallston & Wandersman, 1978). Утврђено је да ни у једном сегменту неплаћеног кућног рада и бриге о деци не постоји родни паритет, а да мајке подносе већи терет бриге о домаћинству и деци. Родни јаз је најизраженији у обављању кућних послова (М = .65, SD = .50, d = 1.30) и менталном терету бриге о домаћинству (М = .63, SD = .48, d = 1.31), а нешто је мањи када је у питању брига о деци (М = .38, SD = .37, d = 1.03). Интензитет родног јаза у подели задужења у домаћинству у вези је са мером задовољства родитељском улогом. Што мајке подносе већи терет бриге око деце (r = -.19, p < .01), што су више оптерећене ментално бригом око домаћинства (r = -.17, p < .01) и кућним пословима (r = -.11, p < .01), то осећају и нешто мање задовољство у родитељској улози. Искљученост из истих обавеза, односно чињеница да њихове партнерке преузимају терет, још снажније је повезана са мањим родитељским задовољством међу очевима. На незадовољство очева највише утиче што су искључени из менталне бриге око домаћинства (r = -.23, p < .01) и бриге око деце (r = -.22, p < .01), док је веза са теретом кућних послова је слабија и тек маргинално статистички значајна, иако у истом смеру (r = -.15, p = .06). Резултати показују да родно егалитарна подела неплаћеног кућног рада и бриге о деци у хетеросексуалним партнерским односима доприноси квалитету живота не само жена, већ и њихових партнера
Religion and Political Attitudes in Serbia
No full textRecent research suggests that there has been a shift from the previous belief that the world is becoming more secular. If we exclude Western Europe, the rest of the world is increasingly becoming desecularized. Religion still plays a significant role in shaping people’s opinions, attitudes, and values. The extent to which these effects occur varies from region to region and depends on the religion practiced there. In the Balkan countries, which were once under communist rule, religion is experiencing a revival, making it intriguing to examine its influence. General research has shown connections between the level of religiosity and certain political attitudes and values. Some results indicate that more religious individuals are more likely to be positioned as right-wing, are more conservative, and cherish authoritarian values. Also, there are some mixed results on the effect of religion on democracy. While it is often associated with undemocratic attitudes, religion also provides positive effects on democratic regimes by increasing social network homogeneity. In this study, we analyze data from rounds 9 and 10 of the European Social Survey to examine these assumptions in the case of Serbia. Serbia has a very high percentage of self-identified religious people, the vast majority of whom are Orthodox Christians. Therefore, if religion influences the formation of their political views, it is beneficial to examine it