Deconstructing Balkan particularism: the ambiguous social capital of Southeastern Europe

Abstract

This article is concerned with particularism in the post‐communist Balkans. First, it discusses notions such as particularism and social capital in a post‐communist context, attempting to relate these two concepts to each other. Second, it provides a descriptive picture of particularism, informal behaviour and social capital in Southeast Europe based on a comparative survey conducted in 2003 in five countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. Third, it constructs explanatory models of social capital and discusses the policy implications for the region’s Europeanization.

Notes

The surveys were executed in 2002 by Center for Regional and Urban Sociology CURS for Romania and by BSS Gallup for the other countries. The pooled sample included 4860 respondents, with the contribution per country as follows: Romania 1600, Bulgaria and Macedonia 1021 each, Serbia 816 and Montenegro 402. The sampling design was similar for all the countries.