University of Kentucky UKnowledge University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2011 CONDITIONING DEMOCRATIZATION: EU MEMBERSHIP CONDITIONALITY AND DOMESTIC POLITICS IN BALKAN INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS Ridvan Peshkopia University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Peshkopia, Ridvan, "CONDITIONING DEMOCRATIZATION: EU MEMBERSHIP CONDITIONALITY AND DOMESTIC POLITICS IN BALKAN INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS" (2011). University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations. 220. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/220 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION Ridvan Peshkopia The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2011 CONDITIONING DEMOCRATIZATION: EU MEMBERSHIP CONDITIONALITY AND DOMESTIC POLITICS IN BALKAN INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS ___________________________________________ ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION ___________________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Ridvan Peshkopia Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Karen Mingst, Lockwood Chair Professor of International Relations Lexington, Kentucky 2011 Copyright © Ridvan Peshkopia 2011 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION CONDITIONING DEMOCRATIZATION: EU MEMBERSHIP CONDITIONALITY AND DOMESTIC POLITICS IN BALKAN INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS The uneven effects of EU membership conditionality on Eastern European reforms continue to puzzle the research community. Sometimes, the research focus has been too large, considering EU membership conditionality as a policy implemented uniformly across policy areas. Other efforts take a too narrow approach by trying to explain the effects of EU membership conditionality in single sectors. I suggest studying this phenomenon through a set of mid-level theories in a cross-country, cross-sectorial approach. I argue that both the intensity of EU membership conditionality and reform outcomes are contingent upon the policy sector context; hence, we should take a sectorial contextual approach in studying them. Reform outcomes result from the interplay between EU’s and domestic leaders’ interests in a particular sectorial reform. I assume domestic leaders to be rational, power driven actors. I argue that, since they act in some weakly institutionalized political environments such as Eastern European societies, they represent the principal actors in the power game. I assume the EU to be a rational actor as well; yet, differently from Eastern Europe, the role of individual leaders is less distinguishable in the highly institutionalized EU political theatre. In this case, EU institutions are the primary political agents. They are interested in maintaining and enlarging the Union as a stable democracy. Expanding an earlier argument that views the EU as established through consociational practices, I argue that EU membership conditionality is a tool to impose institutional reforms in the EU aspirant countries, so their institutions can be receptive to the EU consociational practices once they join the Union. In these countries, the consociational character of conditionality is more visible, since it seeks to impose in aspirant countries the same practices that have brought democratic stability in some member states. The EU does not impose consociational practices on unified societies, but simply seeks to make their institutions receptive to the EU consociational practices. I test these arguments with the cases of institutional reforms in postcommunist Albanian and Macedonia. I conclude that, generally, EU membership manages to change Eastern European leaders’ interests in institutional reforms, but when it cannot, the reforms are almost impossible. KEYWORDS: Consocialtionalist Approach, Sectorial Contextual Approach, EU Membership Conditionality, Eastern European Institutional Reforms, Power Calculations ______________________________________ Ridvan Edmond Peshkopia ______________________________________ Date CONDITIONING DEMOCRATIZATION: EU MEMBERSHIP CONDITIONALITY AND DOMESTIC POLITICS IN BALKAN INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS _______________________________________ Karen Mingst, Director of Dissertation _______________________________________ Richard Waterman, Director of Graduate Studies _______________________________________ Date RULES FOR THE USE OF DISSERTATIONS Unpublished dissertations submitted for the Doctor's degree and deposited in the University of Kentucky Library are as a rule open for inspection, but are to be used only with due regard to the rights of the authors. Bibliographical references may be noted, but quotations or summaries of parts may be published only with the permission of the author, and with the usual scholarly acknowledgments. Extensive copying or publication of the dissertation in whole or in part also requires the consent of the Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky. A library that borrows this dissertation for use by its patrons is expected to secure the signature of each user. Name Date DISSERTATION Ridvan Peshkopia The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2011 CONDITIONING DEMOCRATIZATION: EU MEMBERSHIP CONDITIONALITY AND DOMESTIC POLITICS IN BALKAN INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS ___________________________________________ DISSERTATION ___________________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Ridvan Peshkopia Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Karen Mingst, Lockwood Chair Professor of International Relations Lexington, Kentucky 2011 Copyright © Ridvan Peshkopia 2011 In memory of Nexhat and Manush Peshkëpia brothers, intellectuals, martyrs ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The following dissertation benefited from the insights and direction of several people. First, I am humbly grateful to Prof. Karen Mingst, the Chair of my Dissertation Committee who led me throughout this process; she continued to be patient in going over and over again yet another unfinished draft, and never got tired, even when I was. I also wish to thank the other members of the Dissertation Committee as well as the outside observer, respectively: Robert Olson, Steve Voss, Ernie Yanarella and Mark Summers. Professors Olson, Voss and Yanarella have been pivotal in conceiving the very idea of the dissertation. Much of what I discuss here has either been first argued in class papers, coauthored, or discussed with them during the years of my graduate studies at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and the Department of Political Science, University of Kentucky. Professors Olson and Yanarella have been such enthusiastic supporters of my progress in a way that has made me strive to live up to their expectations. Prof. Voss continues to believe in me and my work. The teachings of and readings from Horace Bartilow were the first to introduce me with the concept of conditionality. David Olster has been a major source of information and intellectual challenge. The combination in him of the walking library and nonconformist intellectual so often challenges the established conventional knowledge, and opens opportunities for new viewpoints. Don Gross couldn’t do much in technical terms, but he helped me by simply being there when I needed him most. Herbert Reid and Theodor Schatzki introduced me with critical reasoning; Harmon Holcomb taught me logical reasoning. Damilola Adebiyi helped with comments, suggestions and copyediting. Part of this dissertation was written at the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES), the Elliott School of International Affairs, the George Washington University, where I spent the academic year 2010-2011 as a predoctoral/postdoctoral fellow. IERES and its director, Prof. Henry Hale, offered a wonderful working environment and the much needed peace of mind to finish this project. Other institutions helped: the University of New York Tirana (UNYT), its deputy-rector, Kosta Giakoumis, and the wonderful political science students provided an iii inspiring environment for research during the academic years 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. They all deserve credits for much work either directly or indirectly related to this project. In addition to the technical and instrumental assistance above, I received priceless inspiration and support from family and friends. My parents Drita and Edmond never stopped supporting me. My son Dritan grew up by listening about this project. He continued to believe that I never give up. During graduate studies, I met some fellow graduate student who tuned out to become great friends: John Davis from the Department of History, Nileish and Smita Raut from the Department of Chemistry, Saikat Boliar from the Equine Program, Abisheik Tiwari from the Department of Mechanics. Michael Wilson became a late night friend with whom I shared much of my concerns. Outside the University of Kentucky, Jim Sturtevant became a great friend and supporter. Daniel Hulker of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet offered both invaluable friendship and technical support with the maps. Moreover, he and our common friend, Justin O’Malley, read and copyedited