It's not what you know...: Europeanization and informal networks in former Yugoslavia

Abstract

More than three decades since the dissolution of Yugoslavia the history of integrating the region into the wider European system is, at best, mixed. Of the original six republics, plus Kosovo, only two are current members of the European Union (EU) while the rest remain at various stages of accession. This study examines three of the countries – Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia – to attempt to contribute to the literature surrounding the widely varied experiences of Europeanization in former Yugoslavia. Specifically, this piece seeks to answer the question of under what conditions do informal political networks impact the EU accession process of former Yugoslav states.

Within this overarching question Europeanization is conceived as a process of diffusion of norms or “ways of doing things” (Radaelli 2002, 3) to a candidate state with the end goal being accession. The External Incentives Model (EIM) emphasizes the role external actors play in driving this change in candidate states (Schimmelfennig and Sedelmeier 2005). Alternatively, Europeanization can also be conceived as a process of policy learning whereby actors learn either in a hierarchy, with top down diffusing of norms, or in epistemic contexts, where learning is driven by problem solving and expertise (Dunlop and Radaelli 2018). In combination with these approaches, this thesis also draws on insights from the study of informality and, in particular, informal networks which posits that behind formal processes lies a second world of unwritten codes and practices which act to enable and constrain certain types of behaviours (Helmke and Levitsky 2004).

To test this interaction this thesis uses Social Network Analysis (SNA) to examine the impact of informal political networks within the parliaments of Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia on their respective roads to accession. All cases are examined in the period between their first agreements with the EU and accession, or until 2020 in the case of Serbia which is still a candidate state. This provides a timetable of 1992- 2004 for Slovenia, 2000-2013 for Croatia, and 2008-2020 for Serbia. In each case, the parliament is analysed by combining both quantitative insights from SNA with qualitative interviews conducted with policymakers in the region. This research reveals that while the impact can be subtle, the structure and nature of the informal networks in each of the cases acted to enable and constrain the accession process helping to explain some of the variation in the length and experience of accession, and thus of Europeanization.