A multicultural environment – A major development and integration factor

• Pages: 49-54

49

Balkan Journal of

Interdisciplinary Research

E-ISSN 2411-9725

ISSN 2410-759X

Vol.10 No.1

May, 2024

1

Vol. 9 No.2

September, 2023

Balkan Journal of Interdisciplinary Research

IIPCCL Publishing, Graz-Austria

E-ISSN 2411-9725

ISSN 2410-759X

Research Article

© 2023 Ardita Abazi Imeri

This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons

Aribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

(hps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

Deliberating in the Gray Zone: North Macedonia’s Hybrid Regime and

Deliberative Democracy Exercise

Ardita Abazi Imeri

European Policy Institute (EPI) – Skopje

DOI: hps://doi.org/10.2478/bjir-2023-0001

Abstract

Deliberative polling has emerged as a promising method for promoting democratic reform

and citizen engagement in various contexts, however, its potential and limitations in hybrid

regimes, where democratic governance is challenged by a mix of democratic and authoritarian

features, remain relatively unexplored. This paper focuses on the case of North Macedonia,

as a country that has undergone signicant political and societal transformation especially in

the recent years. Despite eorts to promote democratic reforms, the country continues to face

challenges in terms of ensuring democratic governance and citizen participation. In a hybrid

regime, like North Macedonia’s, political leaders might not be inclined to value citizens’

input, and the media environment might not be free from inuence, which limits access to

varied and reliable sources of information. Civil society organizations may also encounter

limitations on their operations, and institutional assistance may be insucient. Additionally,

the population’s diversity could make it dicult to reach and build trust with citizens. In

this context, deliberative polling represents an opportunity to engage citizens in meaningful

political dialogue and institutional reform. This paper examines the potential of deliberative

polling as a tool for promoting governance in North Macedonia and highlights the challenges

and limitations faced in this process.

Keywords: deliberative poll, hybrid regime, authoritarian, democracy.

1. Introduction

Democracy around the world is in crisis. In general, the state of democracy world-

wide indicates a lack of progress (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2022). Looking at the

global picture, 2022 fell short of expectations for democracy, as it was anticipated that

the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions might result in an improvement in the

overall score. Both the Freedom House Report 2022 and the Economist Intelligence

Unit’s Democracy Index (EIU) 2022 indicate that the state of democracy around the

world is facing signicant challenges and setbacks.

Research Article

© 2024 Panajot Barka

This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons

Aribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

(hps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

A multicultural environment – A major development and integration factor

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Panajot Barka

“Eqrem Çabej” University, Gjirokastër – Albania

DOI: hps://doi.org/10.2478/bjir-2024-0004

Abstract

Historical evidence highlights that regions characterized by the convergence and cohabitation

of diverse cultures serve as primary drivers of development. Nowadays, the southern region

of Albania stands as a vivid and enduring example of this phenomenon throughout history.

Arguments that speak of integrative and at the same time dierentiating processes in terms

of cultural and ethnic identity include mythology and historical milestones such as Dodona,

Pyrrhus of Epirus and Alexander the Great, to gures like Ali Pasha Tepelena and cultural

hub of Voskopoja. Historically analysing, the establishment of the peace institutions and

good understanding such as Bektashism, the ideology of national renaissance movement,

are examples of dierentiating analogy of the multicultural reality. The communist regime

in Albania, the geographical isolation, the physical and cultural iniction resulting in the

loss of contacts and communication with the world, the climate of ethnocentrism and the

consequences in the way of judging and assessing oneself in relation to others and the opening

of the country and mass emigration are other historical aspects. In this sense, main objective

of this manuscript is the analysis of the positive and negative consequences with assimilative

inuence and the opposite:- juxtaposition to strengthen ethnocentrism.

Keywords: factor, integration, culture, Albania, multiculturalism.

1. Introduction

Focusing on the Balkan literature of the period coinciding with the formation of nation-

states in the region, multicultural phenomena and environments were subjected to

appropriative reasonings and doctrines in favor of a certain ethnicity. They were

dierentiated to the point of opposition, thus losing their diachronic and expressive

dimension of integration and development. The article aims to make an analysis

regarding the multicultural and multiethnic diachronic environment to overcome

the nationalist claims on the diachronic and multicultural reality by bearing the fact

that these aitudes deprive these realities of the abilities to contribute in the favor of

integration and development.