ABSTRACT This study will examine to what extent possible democratic backsliding in Croatia is occurring. Comparisons are drawn between the widely covered democratic backsliding in Hungary and the...Show moreABSTRACT This study will examine to what extent possible democratic backsliding in Croatia is occurring. Comparisons are drawn between the widely covered democratic backsliding in Hungary and the possible democratic backsliding in Croatia. To operationalize democracy and its backlash a theory first coined by Levitsky and Way will be used, Competitive Authoritarianism. The study will assess how Croatia scores on the different indicators that CA is composed of. One of the key findings of this study is that in both countries an electoral system exists with unbalanced constituencies, which can substantially influence election results. Another similarity that can be drawn on the basis of this study is of the politicized media authorities. The institutions that should be ensuring independence of the media are heavily politicized themselves, thus not independent. As far as lawsuits against journalists on the basis of libel and defamation the situation in both countries is problematic and raising concerns. Lawsuits against journalists are not often initiated by politicians and public figures, this leads to self-censorship of the media. Where claims about disadvantaging critical media financially can be made for the case of Hungary, for Croatia no strong evidence exist this is occurring. The main finding of the study is that the trends emerging within Hungary in regard to democratic backsliding only partially manifest themselves in Croatian society since EU accession. Due to the emerging characteristics of a CA regime the status of democracy in Croatia must be further examined.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
On the case of Croatia, this research analyses the changes in the border management at the external EU border that have been implemented since the 2015 migration crisis. Special focus is on the...Show moreOn the case of Croatia, this research analyses the changes in the border management at the external EU border that have been implemented since the 2015 migration crisis. Special focus is on the practice of pushbacks, carried out by the Croatian law enforcement, in the context of EU migration policy.Show less
In dit onderzoek is de rol van muziek in de Joegoslavische Burgeroorlog onderzocht. Dit is onderzocht aan de hand van een tekstuele analyse van verschillende Kroatische en Servische liederen die...Show moreIn dit onderzoek is de rol van muziek in de Joegoslavische Burgeroorlog onderzocht. Dit is onderzocht aan de hand van een tekstuele analyse van verschillende Kroatische en Servische liederen die tijdens de oorlog zijn uitgebracht. Ook zijn de visuele aspecten van de liederen, zoals de videoclip, in dit onderzoek meegenomen. In dit onderzoek licht de nadruk vooral op de natievormende rol van deze muziek.Show less
The Yugoslav Wars that plagued the 1990s saw horrors that many thought were inconceivable in modern Europe. There are two leading schools of thought as to what caused the conflicts. Though both...Show moreThe Yugoslav Wars that plagued the 1990s saw horrors that many thought were inconceivable in modern Europe. There are two leading schools of thought as to what caused the conflicts. Though both schools of thought are quick to accuse Milošević of playing a large part in the instigation of the conflicts, there has been a lack of literature analysing how Milošević helped to instigate the conflicts.Show less
Wars have substantial consequences for the consolidation of democracy, and have caused demographic, socio-economic and social problems in the countries of the Former Yugoslavia. However, what is...Show moreWars have substantial consequences for the consolidation of democracy, and have caused demographic, socio-economic and social problems in the countries of the Former Yugoslavia. However, what is striking is that not only has their Europeanization process differed from other Central and Eastern European countries, but also that among them a differentiated form of integration has taken place. On the one hand there are countries like Slovenia, a full EU member state, and Croatia, an acceding country set to join in July 2013, and on the other hand, countries like Serbia, a candidate country, and Bosnia i Herzegovina, a potential candidate, which have a long way to go on the path to membership. What are the reasons for these differences? How can we explain such variation in degrees of EU membership given that these countries were part of the same state a mere twenty-two years ago? What factors explain the quick democratic consolidation and compliance with EU conditionality of some FY states, on one hand, and the fragmented, problematic and generally slow Europeanization process of other FY states on the other? In order to answer these questions, this thesis examines the role of two key factors in determining different degrees of EU membership – the role of ethnicity, and the legacy of civil war in the internal political environment.Show less
