Not available in 2020/21
EU440      Half Unit
The Balkans in Europe: Transition, Democratisation, Integration

This information is for the 2020/21 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Spyridon Economides CBG 5.03 and Dr Vassilis Monastiriotis CBG 5.05

Availability

This course is available on the MPA in International Development, MPA in Public Policy and Management, MPA in Public and Economic Policy, MPA in Public and Social Policy, MPA in Social Impact, MSc in Conflict Studies, MSc in Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe, MSc in Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe (LSE & Sciences Po), MSc in European and International Public Policy, MSc in European and International Public Policy (LSE and Bocconi), MSc in European and International Public Policy (LSE and Sciences Po), MSc in Political Economy of Europe and MSc in Political Economy of Europe (LSE and Sciences Po). This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Course content

An examination of South East Europe from a politics, political economy and international relations perspective, with particular emphasis on post-1989 developments. Topics include: The Balkans in Europe and Historical Legacies; the Dissolution of Yugoslavia; The Western  Balkans and economic transition; the EU and the Balkans: regionalism and economic integration; Democratisation, state-building and Europeanisation in the Western Balkans; Conditionality and the mechanics of accession; the SEE2020 strategy and the structural reforms agenda; the Balkans and other external actors.

Teaching

10 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the LT. 1 hour and 30 minutes of seminars in the ST.

Students on this course will have a reading week in Week 6, in line with departmental policy.

Formative coursework

One 1,500 word essay and one group policy document review

Indicative reading

  • M. Todorova, Imagining the Balkans, Oxford University Press, 1997; 
  • M. Glenny, Balkans 1804-1999. Nationalism, War and the Great Powers, Granta Publishers, 1999;
  • S Woodward, Balkan Tragedy, Brookings Institute, 1995;
  • Lavigne M. (1999), The Economics of Transition, 2nf edition;
  • Petrakos G. and Totev S. (eds) (2001), The development of the Balkan region, Aldershot; S. RametThinking about Yugoslavia: Scholarly Debates about the Yugoslav Breakup and the Wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, Cambridge University Press, 2005;
  • Bartlett W. (2007), Europe's Troubled Region: Economic Development, Institutional Reform, and Social Welfare in the Western Balkans, Routledge; 
  • A. Elbasani, European Integration and Transformation in the Western Balkans: Europeanization or Business as usual?,  Routledge, 2013;
  • Anastasakis 0., Sanfey P. and Watson M. (eds) (2013), Defining a New Reform Agenda: paths to sustainable convergence in South East Eusope, South East European Studies at Oxford, St Antony’s Coppege, University of Oxford; EBRD (2013),
  • Stuck in Transition?, Transition Report 2013, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, London.

Assessment

Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the summer exam period.

Important information in response to COVID-19

Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.

Key facts

Department: European Institute

Total students 2019/20: 16

Average class size 2019/20: 15

Controlled access 2019/20: Yes

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Personal development skills

  • Problem solving
  • Communication