Topic of thesis: A “Balkan Governmentality”? Analyzing the Effects of Political Informality on the Electoral Process and the Judiciary during Europeanization of Macedonia and Serbia
Abstract: This project deals with the “governmentality” (Foucault) of Macedonia and Serbia, as brought about by the process of Europeanization and the simultaneous existence of long-standing informal norms and institutions that influence governance practices. The project starts from the notion that there is an increasing “gap” between the formal transformations mediated by European integration and the various manifestations of informality, such are kinship networks, patronage relations and connections (Giordano and Hayoz 2013; Ledeneva 1998, 2001, 2013). The pronounced “gap” is visible in the predominance of political practices such as clientelism, corruption, interference with the judiciary, etc.; which are a prime “code of conduct” despite the adopted and EU-induced legal framework aimed to safeguard democratic and rule of law principles. The project analyzes political practices, as shaped by the interaction of the formal and informal constraints (North 1991) in the spheres of elections and judiciary. The research hypothesis is that the Europeanization of Macedonia and Serbia is heavily influenced by informal rules and constraints specific for both societies which contribute negatively to the respect of the Copenhagen political criteria. Theoretically, the project is situated between two not yet directly connected research agendas: the study of the process of Europeanization; and the study of political informality. Methodologically, the project relies on both quantitative and qualitative bottom-up methods of research and analysis. Through understanding governance as a practice, this project seeks to develop feasible policy options aimed to tackle the problems generated by political informality.
Research interests: Informality; Political Institutions; Democratization; Good Governance; Political Clientelism; Multicultural and Language Policies; Identity Politics; Nationalism
Graduated from: University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (M.Sc.) University "St. Cyril and Methodius", Skopje, Macedonia (BA)
Degrees obtained: M.Sc. degree in political science (branch: policy analysis - European aspects) from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (2013) BA degree in political science from the University "St. Cyril and Methodius", Skopje, Macedonia (2007)
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