Political Elites and Decentralization Reforms in the Post-Socialist Balkans - (New Perspectives on South-East Europe) by Alexander Kleibrink

Book Synopsis

Across the globe, more powers are being devolved to local and regional levels of government. This book provides an innovative analysis of such decentralisation in transition states in the Balkans. Using new and rich data, it shows how political elites use decentralisation strategically to ensure their access to state resources.

Review Quotes

"The monograph is a useful and welcome work in several respects. It offers a fresh take on decentralisation studies, shifting away from ethnically-centred discussions on decentralisation ... . the study is a refreshing and important one. The shift of focus towards the agency of the political elites, and in particular towards a resources-driven framework, is much needed; for anyone familiar with the region ... ." (Tena Prelec, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 69 (6), 2017)

"There are several reasons to recommend Alexander Kleibrink's Political Elites and Decentralization Reforms in the Post-Socialist Balkans to anyone interested in the politics of decentralization in Europe. ... The analytical core of the book is a comparison of decentralization reforms in Croatia and Serbia, or more specifically of the devolution of powers to two historical regions within each country - Istria in Croatia and Vojvodina in Serbia." (Vera Sćepanović, Regional Studies, July, 2016)

About the Author

Alexander Kleibrink is Senior Fellow at the European Research Centre for Anti-Corruption and State-Building and Associated Fellow at the Free University Berlin. He has been working on regional development, innovation policy and open governance, and has engaged in several projects on good governance.