Resistance to Socio-Economic Changes in Western Balkan Societies

Center for Social Research Analtika is one of the partners in the regional project „Resistance to Socio-Economic Changes in Western Balkan Societies: Testing Two Theories of Social Development.“ The project is implemented by the Centre for Empirical Cultural Studies of South-East Europe from Nis, in cooperation with the organization Social Research Kosova from Prishtina, the Institute for Democracy „Societas Civilis“ from Skoplje and Analitika from Sarajevo.

Short project description: The aim of the research project is to identify, describe and to explain socio-economic changes occurring in the transitional period in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Kosovo (and Croatia, if additional funds are secured) from the standpoints of two theories of social development: recent modernization theories (R.Inglehart, U.Beck) and theories of practice (P.Bourdieu, A.Swindler, Ch.Taylor). On the one hand, data will be collected which will make it possible to gain insight of change and resistance to change in the societies of the Western Balkans as a result of the simultaneous process of re-traditionalization, first and second (reflexive) modernization. On the other hand, taking into consideration the assumptions of the theories of practice, we will collect data to reconstruct the habituses, volume and types of capital which social groups possess and the fields in which they are active, in the attempt to understand continuity and change in the practices of the citizens of these societies. Such a study is doubly significant. On the one hand, it would make it possible, at a time when these societies are still similar enough, yet different enough, to investigate their social structure, the progression of the transition process, to identify new lines of division in these societies, transitional winners and losers, as well as the attitudes, values and beliefs of the members of these societies, and for the results obtained to be compared – within and between these societies. On the other hand, as it provides a basis for understanding the process of socio-economic change in the region of Western Balkans   from the perspective of two important contemporary theories of social development and the possibility to test which of these two theories more successfully explains changes and resistance to these changes, the results obtained could be a foundation for formulating practical policies in the societies observed in almost all areas – from economic, to social and cultural policy.

Project activities:  A survey will be realized on national proportional samples of 1200 respondents in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, respectively, and 800 respondents in Macedonia and in Kosovo, respectively; 140 semi-structured interviews will be conducted in the four countries, Following the research, a comprehensive study will be published in English; An international conference will be organized where research results will be presented; At least eight papers will be presented at national and international conferences, and at least four papers will be published in national and international journals.  

Project duration: 12 months (1 July 2012 – 30 June 2013)

Project value: 124,880 CHF

About the RRPP Program: The project is funded by the Regional Research Promotion Programme (RRPP), which is aimed at fostering and promoting social science research in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia). The RRPP is coordinated and operated by the Interfaculty Institute for Central and Eastern Europe (IICEE) at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). The programme is fully funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. More information about the RRPP program are available here: http://www.rrpp-westernbalkans.net/en/about.html