Consociational Democracy and Political Engineering in Postwar Kosovo

Abstract

This article examines the consociational democracy installed in Kosovo after the war. Starting from the premise that the electoral system is considered one of the key instruments for the engineering of post-conflict societies with deep ethnic divisions, the article analyzes the preferences of local and international actors for the type of electoral system. In particular, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission’s reluctance to organize elections without a prior creation of an institutional base, as well as grand governing coalitions. The mechanisms of consociational democracy aim at addressing elite cooperation between different ethnic communities for building peace and stability in post-conflict societies. But focusing on the intra- and inter-community dynamics of cooperation and confrontation between elites, I conclude that the main obstacle to building a democratic multi-ethnic society in Kosovo and implementing the power-sharing arrangements was the uncertainty over the status of Kosovo.

Self‐Ruleand Intrastate Conflict Risk in Divided Societies: A Configurational Analysis of Consociational Institutions

“…Our second concern is that while the research community frequently emphasizes the interplay of the accommodative institutions enshrined in the aforementioned ‘consociational formula’ (Beha, 2019; Fakhoury, 2019; Hartzell & Hoddie, 2020; Neudorfer et al, 2020), it comes as a surprise that many influential studies make rather sweeping simplifications to the theoretical model. Concerning the explanation of the (re‐)occurrence of violent conflict, this goes in two directions.…”

Non-Dominant Groups in Kosovo: A Marginalised View on (De)Securitisation of Minorities After Conflict

“…In the context of securitisation through institutionalised consociational arrangements for minority representation (Beha, 2019), Kosovo Bosniaks have been proactive in trying to maximise their rights. However, I argue that the increasingly important role of institutions (parliament, as well as relevant committees and working groups) and community representatives as securitising agents has also had unintended consequences (Calu, 2020).…”

“…This article reveals the risks of creating a social, political, security, and citizenship hierarchy (Krasniqi, 2015) among minority groups and, in line with the EAI dilemmas, how this may derive from generalised frameworks and constitutional design for divided societies (Kymlicka, 2008). Formal provisions for minorities and specific post-conflict measures such as consociational power-sharing (Beha, 2019) cannot fully guarantee desecuritisation (Krasteva et al, 2017). Nor can they ensure positive and negative peace (Galtung et al, 2002), social cohesion, or the legitimisation of the state by all its constituent ethnic groups.…”

Staging and Performing Tradition in Kosova Restaurants

“…The research focus on Kosova has concentrated mainly on grand political themes of intervention, state building, consociational democracy, and so on (Weller 2009;Landau 2017;Beha 2019). Recently, the focus has shifted and, employing a bottom-up approach, is becoming more anthropological.…”