On inevitability of political clientelism in contemporary Serbia
This paper deals with the problem of political clientelism in Serbia broadly defined as the selective distribution of benefits (money, jobs, information, a variety of privileges) to individuals or clearly defined groups in exchange for political support. The main objective is to explain why...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Sociological Scientific Society of Serbia
2016-01-01
|
| Series: | Sociologija |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0038-0318/2016/0038-03181602239C.pdf |
| Summary: | This paper deals with the problem of political clientelism in Serbia broadly
defined as the selective distribution of benefits (money, jobs, information,
a variety of privileges) to individuals or clearly defined groups in exchange
for political support. The main objective is to explain why political
clientelism is widespread in Serbia and which key factors determine its shape
and intensity. The explanation is based on the analysis of historical factors
of development of clientelism in Serbia, as well as on analysis of data from
a recent research on informal relations between political and economic elites
in Serbia and Kosovo. The paper concludes that clientelism and informality
have represented one of the structuring principles of socioeconomic and
political development of Serbian society under the conditions of weak formal
institutions and socio-historical heritage of late modernization. On the
other hand, since 2000 economic and political sphere in Serbia became more
open and competitive which influenced change in the character of clientelism
in Serbia - the increased rivalry among different clientelistic (sub)networks
heightened the chance of opportunistic defection even at the top level, which
made political power of patrons more tradable and the relation inside the
power network less asymmetric. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0038-0318 2406-0712 |