The role of external tools in enhancing democratization: a comparative study of EU'S assistance to the Western Balkans 1994-2016

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b1819789 (Table of Contents)

This study aims to analyze the role of the EU’s democracy assistance in enhancing democracy in the countries of the Western Balkan Six. The study employs mixed methodology techniques. In the first part, quantitative analysis is used to discern the relationship between the democracy assistance and democratization, using V-Dem Electoral Index as the primary measure of democracy. For the statistical analysis, I compiled the European Commission’s aid aggregated dataset for the years 1994-2016, as the EU does not offer any comprehensive data of funds. In the qualitative analysis, process tracing is used to understand the casual mechanisms behind the democratization process in Serbia and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). The study concludes that the EU has given priority to securing stability over the consolidation of democratic regimes, weakening the role of democracy aid. I use the term stabilitocracy to refer to the regime of the WB6 and their relationship with the EU.