Buying Social Peace: Lessons from Kosovo

Abstract

This chapter aims to analyze the process of building social security in Kosovo and to examine the factors that influenced this process after the period of war in 1999. The use of shock therapy (without any feasibility plan) to stimulate the post-communist transition was very challenging for Kosovo. Today, the country is facing numerous social problems, high levels of unemployment, poverty, corruption, and difficulties in the process of European integration. The social security system in Kosovo is analyzed through two different theoretical approaches: the left (Marxism) and the right perspective (liberalism). The Kosovar social system used to be regulated through the left perspective, but now it is making an effort to build the system largely from the right perspective. This dualistic effort has caused more social turmoil in society. The study employs secondary legal documents, international reports, macro indicators, social expenditures, and government policies that regulate social security in Kosovo. Comparative analysis and cluster analysis show the differences and failures in building the social security system through the application of this dualistic approach. The study also employs cross-sectorial survey data through which micro- and macro-level social model analysis is conducted in selected EU countries and Kosovo. The data reflects citizens’ perceptions of worker mobility, income levels and social inequalities, as well as the efficiency of social services and various social protection schemes in Kosovo. The research indicates that social expenditure, unemployment, poverty and corruption significantly influence the development of security policy and social security in Kosovo, all of which provide valuable lessons for policymakers in transition countries.