1,720,974 research outputs found
State Capture, Party Patronage and Unfair Electoral Processes: The Typical Case of Election Conduct in Albania
No full textThis paper aims to analyse the relationship that exists between state capture, party patronage, and the conduct of electoral processes in the settings of post-communist countries, of which Albania is one. A characteristic of the political developments of the transition period in many post-communist countries has been the phenomenon of state capture, which has
occurred mainly through the endemic party patronage and politicization of state institutions. The phenomenon of state capture by the ruling political parties has had a negative conditional impact on the conduct of competitive, free and fair elections in these countries, leading to distrust regarding the credibility and integrity of the process. This study argues
that phenomena such as state capture and extensive party patronage as informal practices/mechanisms in the hands of the ruling political parties affect the creation of a skewed playing field and the production of hyper-incumbency advantages in holding electoral contests between political parties, making the possibility of political power rotations difficult. Albania, in the case of its last parliamentary elections, held on 25th April 2021, constitutes the case study (Section IV) to which the theoretical framework of the paper is applied, by identifying the informal practices and methods through state capture that the ruling political party used to provide structural, institutional, and financial advantages in its favour
regarding elections
Stateness before Democracy. A theoritical Perspective for Centrality of Stateness in the Democratization Process - The Case of Albania
No full textThe aim of this paper is to explore the connection between stateness (and its constituent attributes) and democracy by conceiving the effective state as an independent variable and a prerequisite for the success of a well-functioning democracy. Such a conditioning relationship between the state and the regime has often been subject to being neglected among many scholars of democratization, who have not considered the state as an important explanatory or at least obstructive variable for the success of democratization. This paper argues that the existence of an effective and legitimate state is essential to build a well-functioning democracy. Herein, the variable of stateness is analysed in terms of four attributes: that of monopoly on the legitimate use of force; citizenship agreement; infrastructure capacity of the state; and law enforcement capacity
Gerti Sqapi - Who Needs Ideologies in Albanian Politics
No full textOne of the main features that has characterized the Albanian political scene during these three decades of democratization, has been the problematic relationship that political parties have had with political ideologies as a linkage mechanism to mobilize their electorate and secure votes in elections. The relationship of Albanian political parties with certain political ideologies can be described as strained and problematic. This has happened because such ideologies have either remained too “tight” to the suit of action or policies that our parties undertook when they were in power, or because political ideologies have not served these parties as an effective instrument, or as a linkage mechanism, to attract votes from the Albanian electorate. In this sense, this paper argues that Albanian political parties have increasingly relied on nonideological instruments and strategies to guarantee what is the main goal of political parties in every country: securing votes in elections. The aim of this paper is to address the causes of the problem of de-ideologization of Albanian political parties, seeing this as a problem that relates to and reflects the social structure of Albanian society during the period of its democratization after the ‘90s
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Identifying and Preventing Corruption in Public Procurement
No full textThe procurement of goods and services by public institutions, commonly known as ‘public procurement,’ is an important element of the market economy (Naudé & Dimitri, 2021). In most OECD member countries, public procurement accounts for a significant percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with an average around 10-15% of GDP (OECD, 2015). In Albania’s case, based on official data from Albanian institutions such as the Ministry of Finance, INSTAT, as well as regular public procurement forecasts and the European Commission’s Progress Report, the public procurement market in Albania represented approximately 9.4% of GDP in 2022, compared to 10.7% in 2021 (EU Progress Report, 2023). Although public procurement accounts for only about 10% of GDP in Albania, it still represents a substantial part of public spending, necessitating its efficient use. Therefore, this study examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing transparency and efficiency in public procurement, analyzing AI’s potential to identify and prevent corruption and unethical practices. Public procurement, a key tool for innovation and meeting the needs of public administration, is an area where AI applications have considerable potential to drive positive changes (Obwegeser & Müller, 2018). However, the use of AI in these areas also faces ethical and regulatory challenges, including invasive surveillance, discrimination, and data misuse (Bostrom, 2014; Dafoe, 2018). This study will draw on literature on innovation and public procurement to address issues such as inequality and strict control in public processes, suggesting that AI can help balance efficiency and innovation to meet secondary policy goals, such as supporting SMEs and promoting sustainable public procurement.
Kew words: Public Procurement, AI, innovation, research, development, Albania
Gerti Sqapi - Who Needs Ideologies in Albanian Politics
No full textOne of the main features that has characterized the Albanian political scene during these three decades of democratization, has been the problematic relationship that political parties have had with political ideologies as a linkage mechanism to mobilize their electorate and secure votes in elections. The relationship of Albanian political parties with certain political ideologies can be described as strained and problematic. This has happened because such ideologies have either remained too “tight” to the suit of action or policies that our parties undertook when they were in power, or because political ideologies have not served these parties as an effective instrument, or as a linkage mechanism, to attract votes from the Albanian electorate. In this sense, this paper argues that Albanian political parties have increasingly relied on nonideological instruments and strategies to guarantee what is the main goal of political parties in every country: securing votes in elections. The aim of this paper is to address the causes of the problem of de-ideologization of Albanian political parties, seeing this as a problem that relates to and reflects the social structure of Albanian society during the period of its democratization after the ‘90s
Democratic Consolidation as a Teleological Concept in the Study of Post-authoritarian Regimes
No full textThe years that followed the fall of the Berlin wall and various authoritarian regimes in different regions of the world, witnessed the growth of a wide literature on democratization, which was influenced more and more by the paradigm of transition and the “consolidation” of democracy. Since then, evaluations as well as perspectives through which were seen various regimes (the new democracies “with problems”) are developed mainly through the theoretical lens of consolidation paradigm, according to which full democratic consolidation was the endpoint of regime transitions. But it has become clear today that in many countries, in which more than three decades have passed since the fall of authoritarian regimes, the issue of “completion” of democracy in their social and political context is still far from being a happy reality. The purpose of this paper is to criticize both in the theoretical and the empirical level, the concept of “consolidation of democracy”, seeing it as a non-valid concept for the study of democratization. This paper will argue that essentially the concept of consolidation is teleological and problematic in the sense that democracy is seen not as a process but an endpoint product
Does the Communist Mentality Explain the Behaviour of Albanian Politicians During the Transition Period
No full textDuring the three decades since Albania overthrew the communist dictatorial system and began its democratic changes, the
existence of a line of thought in Albanian society has been noted, which tends to explain the behaviour of Albanian politicians during the transition period based on the assumption of a “communist mentality” carried by them. This line of thought has often been dominant and has been reflected in the Albanian media and public space as a form of “main” explanation to show many of the failures that Albanian democracy has faced during these 30 years, the authoritarian behaviour of political elites, the “state capture” by political parties, the crisis of state institutions, etc. Applying the concept of “communist mentality” in the Albanian media and public space and explaining through it (almost) any kind of negative phenomenon, problem, or behaviour that contradicts the idea of democracy or prevents it from developing, is very problematic, therefore it has served as an impetus in undertaking this study. In this paper, a critical approach will be offered to this discourse that has often dominated the Albanian media and public space, questioning whether is this “communist mentality” the determining factor for the behaviour of Albanian politicians and the failures of Albanian democracy or there are other factors that may explain these phenomena
The Social Basis of Voting in Albania: The Impact of Structural Social Factors and Political Cleavages in Determining the Vote of the Albanian Electorate
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