FES Policy Analysis Series 3 Party Attitudes Towards the Society: Values, Religion, State and Individuality EBERT May 2009, Prishtina FES Policy Analysis Series Policy Analysis Report #3: Party Attitudes Towards the Society: Values, Religion, State and Individuality Report Prepared by: Kushtrim Shaipi Agon Maliqi May, 2009, Prishtina TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. PROJECT BACKGROUND........................................................................................................................4 1.1. Rationale ................................................................................................................................................4 2. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................................6 3. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .....................................................................................................................7 3.1. Theoretical Overview: Values and the Sources of Their Development .............................................7 3.2. Values and Politics .............................................................................................................................9 3.3. Contemporary Debates on Values and Politics in the West ............................................................12 3.4. Values in the Context of Kosovo Politics..........................................................................................14 4. KOSOVO PARTIES AND VALUES...............................................................................................................17 4.1. Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK)...................................................................................................17 4.2. The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) .........................................................................................20 4.3. The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) ...................................................................................24 4.4. The Alliance for New Kosova (AKR)..................................................................................................28 4.5. Democratic League of Dardania (LDD).............................................................................................32 4.6. Social Democratic Party of Kosovo (PSD).........................................................................................34 5. CONCLUSION...........................................................................................................................................37 ANNEX 1: LIST OF INTERVIEWEES ...............................................................................................................39 ANNEX 2: BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................................................40 Party Profiling Through Policy Issues Positions| 2 Disclaimer The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. Party Profiling Through Policy Issues Positions| 3 1. PROJECT BACKGROUND IQ Consulting and its current staff have This project should be regarded as a engaged in political party profiling for over continuation of previous work and further two years now. The experience built in this stimulation of debate on political party direction is very useful in terms of academic profiling. While previous works in this and political contribution for accumulating direction have adapted more general knowledge in Kosovo. Documents produced approaches and aimed at providing political so far have been classified by various parties and students of political science with academics and practitioners as extremely the basic concepts of ideological profiling, the valuable contribution that facilitates further current project aims at linking the theoretical evolution of political parties in terms of aspect of profiling with policy decisions and developing distinct ideological profiles. attitudes towards certain issues. 1.1. Rationale This project aims at generating debate over more important things to think of, namely, contested issues in the Kosovar society. As such, statehood issue, after the resolution of the the project should stimulate internal discussion Kosovo status, there are no apparent within political parties and at the same time, hindrances to debates regarding policy choice. provoke public response from the voters (being The main political parties in Kosovo have been that for the first time policy decisions and interviewed about various topics and issues of opinions will be interpreted in terms of debate. These interviews have served as basis ideology). Being that the process of defining the for assessment of political parties’ attitudes political status of Kosovo is completed, issue‐ towards various aspects of moral reasoning and based debate is expected to be at the heart of issues that indicate the values upheld by the political life. While such debate has not been parties. very much promoted during the last couple of years with the excuse that the parties have Party Profiling Through Policy Issues Positions| 4 Figure 1. Graph of Traditional Political Profiling 2. METHODOLOGY As stated above the project aims at utilizing The project has been implemented throughout both secondary data available (various reports, 2008 and each policy paper has been presented analyses, press clippings) and empirical research publically. Parties are assessed at an ideological through face‐to‐face interviews with officials of scale and indicators developed have been used political parties, in order to generate a genuine to clarify party positions. Publications have profiles for all parties vis‐à‐vis issues of concern. been presented in various forums of discussion, By doing so, the project aims at linking the hence, stimulating a wider social debate about theoretical and practical aspects of political political party ideological profiling in terms of party profiling. The reason behind choosing policy decisions. such methodology is the perceived lack of The policy papers have been published on knowledge on the part of practitioners (party quarterly basis, and have included analyses of leaders and members) about ideological parties’ attitudes towards policy issues deemed profiling of political parties. By doing so, both important for Kosovo. The project has been party leaders and their supporters, will create a implemented in three identical cycles1 and as a more accurate picture of their ideological result a total of three policy papers have been profile. The issue based debate should serve published. While the first policy analysis report political parties to position themselves concerned social policies and was titled “Party ideologically, a process that has not genuinely Attitudes Towards Social Policies: Pensions, taken place so far. Moreover, the reports Healthcare and Privatization”, the second policy published during the course of this project analysis report focused on analyzing the should provide parties with a more in‐depth alternatives for economic development understanding of political ideologies in terms of suggested by political parties and was titled, practical policy decisions, an aspect that is “Party Attitudes Towards Economy: currently not considered a great deal. Privatization, Fiscal Policies and Development” 1 Each cycle will be dedicated to one policy paper similar to this one. Party Profiling Through Policy Issues Positions| 6 3. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 3.1. Theoretical Overview: Values and the Sources of Their Development The term “values” is a quite abstract. But in the specifics of their socio‐political general it refers to the subjective beliefs of a environment. As the Spanish philosopher Jose person or a social group that is part of their Ortega y Gasset suggested several decades ago, broader “value system”. Values are the deep a human being is the product of his ego and his frameworks of mind which individuals and circumstances. In line with this view, we can societies use in order to define what is good or suggest the development of value systems is bad, and therefore are closely related and often determined by a combination of factors related identical to morality or ethics. Values therefore to their psychological character and the context have a behavioral aspect to them, since a of their existence in society. person or a social group tends to express them The subject of values has been vastly studied in and to potentially join others who share them in psychology. The first point that needs to be the form of political action. In this regard, noted in this regard is that individuals have a values are also closely related to social norms. strong psychological need to give things and The later however refer to the socially abstract phenomena an intrinsic value, to acceptable modes of behavior whereas values suggest in many cases that they are an end in are judgments made on the behaviors. Whether themselves and that they have a meaning and the judgments are positive or negative is purpose. The need for a value‐based and moral dependent on how the individual making the framework of mind seems to be something judgment views the norms. hardwired into us. But why do different people Individuals and political parties have different hold different things as being valuable? A lot of value systems. Some may put greater focus and the values which we hold as important are importance on cultural or national traditions,