Speakers
Description
The open-ended processes of power, political and societal transformation that initiated with the fall of the socialist regime/s around the beginning of 1990s, marked down the so-called post-socialism transition ( (Müller 2019); (Petrov 2014)) of the affected Central-East European (CEE) countries. The term ‘transition’ in particular, was largely employed among scholars in political sciences, policy-makers and even lay people as a concept encompassing an historical period after the fall of communism (Petrov 2014), to the extent that it would be used to label the CEE countries as ‘transition countries’ (Carothers 2002).
As with the rest of Eastern Europe, the radical changes of the early 1990s transformed WB’s political social, and economic realities. Transiting earlier from an almost feudal system in 1945, towards a heavily centralized economy, and then abruptly (in 1990) into an extremely liberal market, left Albanian society grappling with a post-communist vacuum of legislation, policies, and institutions that propelled it into a vortex of illiberalism (Aliaj and Kacani 2024). Nowadays, while still being in limbo with numerous political and economic reform, (and fairly to say still in transition for most of the started processes), by the end of the 20th century, all the WB governments, lined up as supporters and implementers of the European agenda for green transition. This is, of course, both a necessity to unite in a pan-European commitment to address climate challenges and ensure the planet's environmental sustainability, as it is a crucial requirement for integration. Hence, as (Geels 2011) marks, the newly presented “green transition” is equally purposive for all Western Balkan countries, considering its embeddedness within the EU green agenda, the EU integration process, and the structural and technical weaknesses in the region which inhibit it from producing bottom-up niches of change.
In this context, this paper contextualizes the risks and opportunities associated with the Just Green Transition (JGT) in the Western Balkans within the region's shared historical experience of post-socialist transformation. Drawing on a theoretical framework of transition studies, the study compares the socio-economic and environmental dynamics of the post-1990 reforms across the Western Balkans with the current imperative to achieve climate neutrality under the JGT. The analysis identifies both shared challenges of these transitions and distinct risks linked to the JGT, particularly its environmental focus, accelerated timelines, and heightened external oversight. By mapping lessons from the region's post-socialist era—such as the need for participatory governance, equitable policies, and institutional resilience—the paper proposes strategies to mitigate JGT-specific risks, including governance deficits, social inequities, and economic dislocations. Through a comparative lens, this study underscores the critical importance of fostering inclusive policymaking, balancing socio-economic and spatial justice, and leveraging international support mechanisms to ensure a successful JGT.
References
Aliaj, B., & Kacani, A. (2024). How Can Albania Speed Up the EUIntegration Process? The Role of Reforms inthe Formalisation of the Extralegal Economyas an Instrument for Socioeconomic Growthand for Establishing the Rule of Law. In Reconsidering ‘Transition’: Albania 1990–2020 and the Promise of Democracy (pp. 164-194). Konrad Adenauer Foundation (Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung).
Müller, M. (2019). Goodbye, Postsocialism! In Europe-Asia Studies 71 (4) (pp. 533-550). doi:10.1080/09668136.2019.1578337.
Carothers, T. (2002). The End of the Transition Paradigm. Journal of Democracy, 13 (1).
Petrov, K. (2014). The Concept of Transition in Transition. Comparing the Postcomunist Use of the Concept of Transition with that found in Soviet Ideology. Baltic Worlds, 1:2014, 29-41.
| Keywords | Purposive Transition; Just Green Transition; Governance Challenges; Risks and Benefits |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
