The role of epistemic communities: local think tanks, international practitioners and security sector reform in Kosovo

ABSTRACT

Security sector reform (SSR) in Kosovo remains complex and challenging. The existing approach is heavily driven by international agencies. This article addresses the question: What role is played by local research in Kosovo’s SSR? This study focuses on the challenges that local research poses to internationally led SSR in Kosovo, and the contribution that local researchers make to the decision-making of international practitioners. In Kosovo, local research organizations produce research analysing and critiquing international SSR and offering alternative approaches. The study builds on existing studies of epistemic communities and research use in policy-making and new evidence based on the author’s interview survey of researchers and policy-makers in Kosovo. The article argues that focusing on the interaction between local researchers and international policy practitioners provides valuable insight into the construction of Kosovo’s SSR. The study deconstructs the structures, processes and agencies at the heart of the local/international relationship. It explains how local research on topics of security, justice and rule of law, and its interaction with international practitioners, challenges international SSR and contributes to international SSR decision-making.

KEYWORDS:

• Local research
• security sector reform
• Kosovo
• international rules
• policy-making

Notes on contributor

Jacob Phillipps is a Ph.D. candidate in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Coventry University, with research interests in the interplay between international and local actors in the processes of post-conflict recovery. [email protected]

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Acknowledgments

This article has stemmed from a larger Ph.D. study into the role of local research in the security sector reform of post-conflict Kosovo. The project, including field research in Kosovo, is funded by Coventry University. My thanks go to the support of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Coventry University, the interviewees for their time, and my supervisory team: Professor Neil Renwick and Dr. Alexander Kazamias. I would also like to thank Maj Grasten, the editor of the special issue, Arolda Elbasani, and the anonymous reviewers for their extensive comments and feedback.

Notes

1. This article describes international SSR policy-makers as ‘international practitioners’. These are defined as the international staff members of international organizations, including advisors, programme managers and policy officers who are responsible for the design and implementation of internationally led SSR in Kosovo.

2. International actors offering ongoing support to national institutions have included: An International Civilian Office (ICO); international embassies; the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Programme (ICITAP); EU Office; international advisors; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); and partnerships with various non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

3. Local think tanks and CSOs who produce research on SSR issues in Kosovo include: the Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development (KIPRED); Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS); Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS); Kosovo Law Institute (KLI); Kosovo Stability Initiative (IKS); Forum for Civic Initiatives (FIQ); Institute for Advanced Studies (GAP); NGO Aktiv; Centre for Peace and Tolerance (CPT); Institute for Development Studies (INDEP) and Balkan Policy Institute (IPOL). Investigative organizations carry out monitoring and reporting on the performance and ongoing process of SSR, and include the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN). The KLI and GLPS also carry out monitoring and reporting activities, alongside the production of research publications.

4. To illustrate the different communities in Kosovo, the European Centre for Minority Issues in Kosovo (European Centre for Minority Issues Kosovo 2013) provides the following population data: Albanian community, 86.63%; Serb community, 7.8%; Bosniak community, 1.54%; Turkish community, 1.01%; Roma community, 0.84%; Ashkali community, 0.83%; Egyptian community, 0.61%; Gorani community, 0.58%; Montenegrin community, 0.01%; Croat community, 0.01%.

5. The ‘Forum for Security’ serves as a discussion platform among think tanks in Kosovo, aiming to bring together key stakeholders on security and justice issues to advocate for policy development. It was established in June 2010 by FIQ, in partnership with the KCSS.