This study examined the impact of decentralization on community participation in formal organizations in post-communist Albania. Do community members take advantage of the new forms of local governance introduced with decentralization? What barriers to participation do they face? The study did not find any support for the theoretical expectation that decentralization promotes greater community engagement with formal organizations. Findings provide insights into how communist legacies and post-communist developments affect perceptions and attitudes toward formal organizations. We discuss several lessons on how to strengthen community participation in formal organizations and inform community-based interventions.
AzfarO.KähkönenS.LanyiA.MeagherP.RutherfordD. (1999) Decentralization, Governance and Public Services: The Impact of Institutional Arrangements: A Review of the Literature. College Park, MD: IRIS Center, University of Maryland, College Park.
3.
BadescuG. (2003) ‘Social Trust and Democratization in the Post-Communist Societies’, in BadescuG.UslanerE.M. (eds) Social Capital and the Transition to Democracy, pp. 120–39. London: Routledge.
4.
BardhanP.MookherjeeD. (2006) ‘The Rise of Local Governments: An Overview’, in BardhanP.MookherjeeD. (eds) Decentralization and Local Governance in Developing Countries: A Comparative Perspective, pp. 1–52. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
5.
BartkowskiJ. (2003) ‘Social Capital in Poland’, in BadescuG.UslanerE.M. (eds) Social Capital and the Transition to Democracy, pp. 184–99. London: Routledge.
BiberajE. (1990) Albania: A Socialist Maverick. Oxford: Westview Press.
8.
BogdaniM.LoughlinJ. (2007) Albania and the European Union: The Tumultuous Journey towards Integration and Accession. London: I.B. Tauris.
9.
BuchowskiM. (1996) ‘The Shifting Meanings of Civil and Civic Society in Poland’, in HannC.M.DunnE.C. (eds) Civil Society: Challenging Western Models, pp. 79–98. New York: Routledge.
10.
CookK.S.RiceE.GerbasiA. (2004) ‘The Emergence of Trust Networks Under Uncertainty: The Case of Transitional Economies’, in KornaiJ.RothsteinB.Rose-AckermanS. (eds) Creating Social Trust in Post-Socialist Transition, pp. 193–212. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
DautiM. (2013) ‘How Institutions Matter for Local Development: Evidence from the Implementation of Decentralization Reform in Albania’, Doctoral Dissertation, Washington University, St. Louis, MO.
13.
GoldfrankB. (2002) ‘The Fragile Flower of Local Democracy: A Case Study of Decentralization/Participation in Montevideo’, Politics & Society30(51): 51–83.
14.
HowardM.M. (2003) ‘Why Post-Communist Citizens Do Not Join Voluntary Organizations’, in BadescuG.UslanerE.M. (eds) Social Capital and the Transition to Democracy, pp. 165–83. London: Routledge.
Instat (2012) Population and Housing Census. Tirana, Albania: Instat.
17.
Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) (2010) Civil Society Index for Albania: In Search of Citizens & Impact. Tirana, Albania: IDM.
18.
Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) (2013) Pyetësor i Monitorimit të Performancës së Bashkisë Shijak [Questionnaire of Monitoring the Performance of the Municipality of Berat]. Unpublished Internal Document.
19.
KarklinsR. (2005) The System Made Me Do It: Corruption in Post-Communist Societies. London: M.E.Sharpe.
20.
KrastevI. (2010) ‘Deepening Dissatisfaction’, Journal of Democracy21(1): 113–9.
21.
KrishnaA. (2002) Active Social Capital: Tracing the Roots of Development and Democracy. New York: Columbia University Press.
22.
LiebermanE.PosnerD.TsaiL. (2013) ‘Does Information Lead to More Active Citizenship?Evidence from an Education Intervention in Rural Kenya’, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Political Science Department, Working Paper No. 2013-2.
23.
LovellD.W. (2001) ‘Trust and the Politics of Postcommunism’, Communist and Post-Communist Studies34(1): 27–38.
24.
MandelR. (2002) ‘Seeding Civil Society’, in HannC.M. (ed.) Postsocialism: Ideals, Ideologies and Practices in Eurasia, pp. 279–96. New York: Routledge.
25.
Meinzen-DickR.RajuK.V.GulatiA. (2002) ‘What Affects Organization and Collective Action for Managing Resources? Evidence from Canal Irrigation Systems in India’, World Development30(4): 649–66.
26.
Mungiu-PippidiA. (2010) ‘The Other Transition’, Journal of Democracy21(1): 120–7.
27.
Municipality of Kuçova. (2008) Komisioni Qytetar, 10 vjet. PowerPoint presentation delivered on the 10th anniversary of the Citizens’ Commission. Kuçova, Albania: Municipality of Kuçova.
28.
NorthD.C.WallisJ.J.WeingastB.R. (2009) Violence and Social Orders: A Conceptual Framework for Interpreting Recorded Human History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
29.
OatesW.E. (1999) ‘An Essay on Fiscal Federalism’, Journal of Economic Literature37(3): 1120–49.
30.
Partners Albania (2013) Participation of Citizens and Civil Society in Decision Making. Tirana, Albania: Partners Albania.
31.
PutnamR. (2000) Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster.
32.
SmithG. (2009) Democratic Innovations: Designing Institutions for Citizen Participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Instat (2011) Corruption in Albania: Bribery as Experienced by the Population. Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Available online at: http://www.instat.gov.al/media/169788/corruption_in_albania.pdf
35.
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (2014) Pyetësor për Qytetarët [Citizen Survey]. Unpublished Internal Document.
36.
UslanerE.M. (2003) ‘Trust and Civic Engagement in East and West’, in BadescuG.UslanerE.M. (eds) Social Capital and the Transition to Democracy, pp. 81–94. London: Routledge.
37.
UslanerE.M.BadescuG. (2004) ‘Honesty, Trust, and Legal Norms in the Transition to Democracy: Why Bo Rothstein Is Better Able to Explain Sweden than Romania’, in KornaiJ.RothsteinB.Rose-AckermanS. (eds) Creating Social Trust in Post-Socialist Transition, pp. 31–51. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
