Research Article
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Year 2020, Issue: 4, 109 - 138, 20.06.2020

Abstract

References

  • Bieber, Florian. “Power Sharing as Ethnic Representation in Postconflict Societies: The Case of Bosnia, Macedonia, and Kosovo.” In Nationalism After Communism. Lessons Learned. eds. Alina Mungiu-Pippidi and Ivan Krastev. Budapest: CEU Press, 2004, 229-246.
  • Bieber, Florian. Power-Sharing and Implementation of Ohrid Framework Agreement. Skopje: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2008.
  • Boykov D. Victor. “Democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Post-1995 Political System and its Functioning”. Southeast European Politics, vol. 4, No.1 (2003), 41-67.
  • Chandler, David. Bosnia: Faking Democracy After Dayton. Virginia: Pluto Press, 2000.
  • Crouch, Colin. Post-Democracy. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2004.
  • Demjaha, Agon. “The State of Inter-Ethnic Relations in Macedonia After 16 Years of The Ohrid Agreement”. SEEU Review, vol. 2, Issue 2 (2016), 8-31.
  • Demjaha, Agon. “Inter-Ethnic Relations in Kosovo”. SEEU Review, vol.12. Issue 1 (2017), 181-196.
  • Dyrstad, Karin. “After Ethnic Civil War: Ethno-Nationalism in the Western Balkans”. Journal of Peace Research, vol. 49(2012): 817–831.
  • Horowitz, Donald L. Ethnic Groups in Conflict. Berkeley – Los Angeles – London: University of California Press, 1985.
  • Horowitz, Donald L.. Horowitz. 2014. “Ethnic Power Sharing: Three Big Problems,” Journal of Democracy, vol. 25(2014): 5-20.
  • Humanitarian Law Center (http://www.hlc-rdc.org/?cat=218&lang=de).
  • Ismayr, Wolfgang. Die Politischen Systeme Osteuropas. Opladen: Leske+Budrich, 2004.
  • Jakesevic, Ruzica. “Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding in the Western Balkans – The Role of International Actors”. Teorija in Praks, vol. 55 (2018): 99-122.
  • Jovic, Dejan. “Bitka za Etnicki Status u Postjugoslovenskim Drzavama. “Politicke Analize, no. 5 (2011): 36-45.
  • Karnavas, Michael G. “Creating the Legal Framework of the Brčko District of the Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Model for the Region and Other Post-conflict Countries“, The American Journal of International Law, vol. 97, No.1 (2003): 111-131.
  • Lijphart, Arend. Democracy in Plural Societies: A Comparative Exploration. Yale University Press, 1977.
  • Lijphart, Arend. Patterns of Democracy. New Heaven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.
  • Lijphart, Arend. “The Wave of Power-Sharing Democracy,” in The Architecture of Democracy. Constitutional Design, Conflict Management, and Democracy. eds. Andrew Reynolds. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002, 37-54. Kasapović, Mirjana. Bosna i Hercegovina Podijeljeno Drustvo i Nestabilna Drzava. Zagreb: Politicka Kultura, 2005.
  • Komuna e Ranillukut: problemet kryesore dhe trendet buxhetore. GAP Report, 2012. (https://www.institutigap.org/documents/74829_RANILLUGU2013.pdf ).
  • Maleska, Mirjana. “Multiethnic Democracy in Macedonia: Political Analysis and Emerging Scenarious,” New Balkan Politics, vol. 13 (2013): 1-27.
  • Map of municipalities website of the Republic of Kosovo (https://kk.rks-gov.net/ranillug/; (https://www.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=f918393918f64194b42123a738d77320).
  • Petr, Cermak. “Reintegration of Local Communities Divided by Ethnic Conflict: Ethnically Mixed Municipalities in the Western Balkans”. Croatian Political Science Review, vol. 53 (2016): 191-229.
  • Orlovic, Slavisa. “Consociational experiments in Western Balkans: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia”. New Balkan Politics, Issue 17 (2015): 29-50.
  • Reilly, Benjamin. “Electoral Systems for Divided Societies,” Journal of Democracy, vol. 13 (2002): 156-170.
  • Sekulic, Dusko and Massey, Garth and Hodson, Randy. “Ethnic Intolerance and Ethnic Conflict in the Dissolution of Yugoslavia”. Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 29 (2006): 797-827.
  • State Statistical Office, Republic of North Macedonia, stat.gov.mk.
  • Statute of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina – 7 December 1999.
  • The Comprehensive Proposal for Kosovo Status Settlement, 2 February 2007.
  • The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Initialled in Dayton on 21 November 1995 and signed in Paris on 14 December 1995.
  • The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • The Constitution of North Macedonia.
  • The Constitution of Kosovo.
  • The Ohrid Framework Agreement, 13.08.2001.
  • Wantchekon, Leonard. “Clientelism and Voting Behaviour: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Benin,” World Politics, vol. 55 (2003): 399-422.

Ethnicity Based Democratic Constitutional Structures: the Cases of Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo

Year 2020, Issue: 4, 109 - 138, 20.06.2020

Abstract

Multiethnicity is one of the main longstanding features of the Western Balkan politics, though it has never in history been so ethnically divided as it is today. Ethnic identity has structured and shaped politics and political systems of the Western Balkan countries for a considerable time, and continues to do so even today, but at a more intense and institutionalized level. In post Yugoslav countries ethnicity has remained the main feature of political systems and constitutional structures, particularly at larger scale and depth in cases of three states: North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. As multiethnic societies, divided exclusively along ethnic cleavages they have opted for a sort of consociational and centripetal constitutional systems, pertaining to provide enough say and representation to ethnicities. These structural settings are primarily driven by democratization process and post-conflict ethnic reconciliation motives, through providing institutional structures for self-governing power to each ethnicity. However, the so far experience has proved often a stalemate at central government capacities to govern, compromising the governability of these polities, marking no progress in ethnic reconciliation, and largely promoting postdemocratic practices. Nevertheless, those systems are considered as not yet fully consolidated, with not promising prospects. Therefore, the paper will try to shed light on the post conflict structural inter – ethnic settlements and their reflections into democratic politics, governability, and inter–ethnic reconciliation, through comparing the three cases considered here. The research questions of the this paper are: what are the current constitutional and structural settings, based on ethnicity, comparing cases of the three countries? What is the influence of these inter – ethnic constitutional structures on governability and democraticness of the three countries? And, how far is this enabling inter–ethnic reconciliation? This is a comparative study, addressing the three research questions in all three cases studied here, comparing them to find out similarities and differences among them. The design of the study is qualitative one, using a grounded theory, collecting data to analyze the three cases, based on primary and secondary sources, constitutions, documents, books, articles, media sources.

References

  • Bieber, Florian. “Power Sharing as Ethnic Representation in Postconflict Societies: The Case of Bosnia, Macedonia, and Kosovo.” In Nationalism After Communism. Lessons Learned. eds. Alina Mungiu-Pippidi and Ivan Krastev. Budapest: CEU Press, 2004, 229-246.
  • Bieber, Florian. Power-Sharing and Implementation of Ohrid Framework Agreement. Skopje: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2008.
  • Boykov D. Victor. “Democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Post-1995 Political System and its Functioning”. Southeast European Politics, vol. 4, No.1 (2003), 41-67.
  • Chandler, David. Bosnia: Faking Democracy After Dayton. Virginia: Pluto Press, 2000.
  • Crouch, Colin. Post-Democracy. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2004.
  • Demjaha, Agon. “The State of Inter-Ethnic Relations in Macedonia After 16 Years of The Ohrid Agreement”. SEEU Review, vol. 2, Issue 2 (2016), 8-31.
  • Demjaha, Agon. “Inter-Ethnic Relations in Kosovo”. SEEU Review, vol.12. Issue 1 (2017), 181-196.
  • Dyrstad, Karin. “After Ethnic Civil War: Ethno-Nationalism in the Western Balkans”. Journal of Peace Research, vol. 49(2012): 817–831.
  • Horowitz, Donald L. Ethnic Groups in Conflict. Berkeley – Los Angeles – London: University of California Press, 1985.
  • Horowitz, Donald L.. Horowitz. 2014. “Ethnic Power Sharing: Three Big Problems,” Journal of Democracy, vol. 25(2014): 5-20.
  • Humanitarian Law Center (http://www.hlc-rdc.org/?cat=218&lang=de).
  • Ismayr, Wolfgang. Die Politischen Systeme Osteuropas. Opladen: Leske+Budrich, 2004.
  • Jakesevic, Ruzica. “Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding in the Western Balkans – The Role of International Actors”. Teorija in Praks, vol. 55 (2018): 99-122.
  • Jovic, Dejan. “Bitka za Etnicki Status u Postjugoslovenskim Drzavama. “Politicke Analize, no. 5 (2011): 36-45.
  • Karnavas, Michael G. “Creating the Legal Framework of the Brčko District of the Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Model for the Region and Other Post-conflict Countries“, The American Journal of International Law, vol. 97, No.1 (2003): 111-131.
  • Lijphart, Arend. Democracy in Plural Societies: A Comparative Exploration. Yale University Press, 1977.
  • Lijphart, Arend. Patterns of Democracy. New Heaven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.
  • Lijphart, Arend. “The Wave of Power-Sharing Democracy,” in The Architecture of Democracy. Constitutional Design, Conflict Management, and Democracy. eds. Andrew Reynolds. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002, 37-54. Kasapović, Mirjana. Bosna i Hercegovina Podijeljeno Drustvo i Nestabilna Drzava. Zagreb: Politicka Kultura, 2005.
  • Komuna e Ranillukut: problemet kryesore dhe trendet buxhetore. GAP Report, 2012. (https://www.institutigap.org/documents/74829_RANILLUGU2013.pdf ).
  • Maleska, Mirjana. “Multiethnic Democracy in Macedonia: Political Analysis and Emerging Scenarious,” New Balkan Politics, vol. 13 (2013): 1-27.
  • Map of municipalities website of the Republic of Kosovo (https://kk.rks-gov.net/ranillug/; (https://www.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=f918393918f64194b42123a738d77320).
  • Petr, Cermak. “Reintegration of Local Communities Divided by Ethnic Conflict: Ethnically Mixed Municipalities in the Western Balkans”. Croatian Political Science Review, vol. 53 (2016): 191-229.
  • Orlovic, Slavisa. “Consociational experiments in Western Balkans: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia”. New Balkan Politics, Issue 17 (2015): 29-50.
  • Reilly, Benjamin. “Electoral Systems for Divided Societies,” Journal of Democracy, vol. 13 (2002): 156-170.
  • Sekulic, Dusko and Massey, Garth and Hodson, Randy. “Ethnic Intolerance and Ethnic Conflict in the Dissolution of Yugoslavia”. Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 29 (2006): 797-827.
  • State Statistical Office, Republic of North Macedonia, stat.gov.mk.
  • Statute of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina – 7 December 1999.
  • The Comprehensive Proposal for Kosovo Status Settlement, 2 February 2007.
  • The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Initialled in Dayton on 21 November 1995 and signed in Paris on 14 December 1995.
  • The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • The Constitution of North Macedonia.
  • The Constitution of Kosovo.
  • The Ohrid Framework Agreement, 13.08.2001.
  • Wantchekon, Leonard. “Clientelism and Voting Behaviour: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Benin,” World Politics, vol. 55 (2003): 399-422.
There are 34 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Avdi Smajljaj 0000-0003-0540-5149

Publication Date June 20, 2020
Published in Issue Year 2020 Issue: 4

Cite

APA Smajljaj, A. (2020). Ethnicity Based Democratic Constitutional Structures: the Cases of Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo. Journal of Balkan and Black Sea Studies(4), 109-138.
AMA Smajljaj A. Ethnicity Based Democratic Constitutional Structures: the Cases of Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo. BALKAR. June 2020;(4):109-138.
Chicago Smajljaj, Avdi. “Ethnicity Based Democratic Constitutional Structures: the Cases of Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo”. Journal of Balkan and Black Sea Studies, no. 4 (June 2020): 109-38.
EndNote Smajljaj A (June 1, 2020) Ethnicity Based Democratic Constitutional Structures: the Cases of Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo. Journal of Balkan and Black Sea Studies 4 109–138.
IEEE A. Smajljaj, “Ethnicity Based Democratic Constitutional Structures: the Cases of Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo”, BALKAR, no. 4, pp. 109–138, June 2020.
ISNAD Smajljaj, Avdi. “Ethnicity Based Democratic Constitutional Structures: the Cases of Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo”. Journal of Balkan and Black Sea Studies 4 (June 2020), 109-138.
JAMA Smajljaj A. Ethnicity Based Democratic Constitutional Structures: the Cases of Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo. BALKAR. 2020;:109–138.
MLA Smajljaj, Avdi. “Ethnicity Based Democratic Constitutional Structures: the Cases of Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo”. Journal of Balkan and Black Sea Studies, no. 4, 2020, pp. 109-38.
Vancouver Smajljaj A. Ethnicity Based Democratic Constitutional Structures: the Cases of Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo. BALKAR. 2020(4):109-38.