COMPCITXU · In the frame of party competition: citizenship, voting rights and nation-building in the post-Yugoslav space

The conflict in the post-Yugoslav space has been given considerable scholarly attention. Yet, many political processes in these states, deeply affected by the dynamics of EU accession and membership, have been neglected by the mainstream political science. Having this analytical gap in mind, this cross-disciplinary Marie Curie project analyses the effects of party competition on the relationship between citizenship and voting rights in post-Yugoslav countries with consolidated (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo) and conflictual (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro) politics of national identity. Conceptually, it first challenges Kitschelt’s (1997) paradigm for understanding party competition in post-communist countries, as it is inapplicable in polities that have undergone both partition and conflict. In addition, by studying the link between the transformations of citizenship and voting rights in the context of party competition, the project adds to Brubaker’s (1992) observations that the image of politics captured in the underlying legislation is not only ideal but also practical. Empirically, by tracing processes of change in citizenship and franchise legislation, it complements the existing research on the policy output in Europe’s new states. Through its key aims, the project thus has relevance for three research priorities outlined in the 2012 Work Programme. It explores how the different countries define 'insiders' and 'outsiders' in their political spaces, and helps to unveil major trends in society and their implications. Moreover, it looks at how the interplay between citizenship and franchise is changed and shaped by party competition in post-Yugoslav space, and contributes to the understanding of Europe’s role in its neighbourhood, and the broader issues related to citizens in the EU and its immediate surroundings.