Europeanization and Informal Networks in Southeastern Europe
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- ISBN 9781032717883
- Weight: 400g
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 21 May 2026
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
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Europeanization and Informal Networks in Southeastern Europe considers the impact of political culture, including informal rules which regulate political behaviour, on formal political processes. Exploring the EU accession processes of Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia, the author identifies how the working and social culture of political elites enabled and/or constrained the ability of the respective legislatures to pass the reforms necessary to become members of the EU.
The innovative approach quantifies informality at the elite level, taking a rigorous, multi-methods approach to identifying the sometimes-subtle impact of informal cultures on formal political processes. In doing so, it demonstrates the added value from studying informality by providing a richer understanding of the factors which help motivate and drive political action, and which may be invisible to an outside observer. By examining features such as the connectedness of individuals and key committees, Mesarovich finds that hierarchical network structures can both accelerate and interfere with reform processes under different conditions.
This book advances the field of Europeanization both within the framework of accession and more broadly, by highlighting network-level and individual factors which can deeply impact state-wide political outcomes, and will be of primary interest to an academic audience interested in the region, EU studies, Social Network Analysis, and regional politics.
Dr Alexander Mesarovich is currently a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute, Florence. He has worked on several H2020 projects, including ENGAGE, and published articles in Europe-Asia Studies and International Studies Quarterly. His research interests include EU accession in Southeastern Europe, radical right-wing populism, and EU foreign policy.
