This book offers a comparative, cross-regional study of the politics and economics of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Albania from 1999 to the present. It is during this period that the first wave of post-communist regime transition ended and the region became more deeply involved in the challenges of democratic consolidation. The authors explore the legacies of communist rule, the impact of incentives and impediments on reform, and the magnetic pull of European Union accession. They ask whether the Western Balkans are embracing democracy by creating functional, resilient institutions (governmental, administrative, journalistic, and economic) and fostering popular trust in the legitimacy of those institutions.

The challenges of postconflict democracy building -- Legacies of communism, conflict, and international intervention -- New regimes, old routines : institutional innovations and governance challenges -- Administrative development, the rule of law, and the struggle against corruption -- Civic engagement, gender politics, and media pluralism : political cultures in flux -- The transformation of political parties in the western Balkans : from embryonic pluralism to Europeanization -- The social basis for democratic development : elites, middle classes, and the struggle against poverty -- The transformation of values : coexisting democratic and illiberal beliefs -- Belated economic transitions : promise and problems -- Democracy building and EU accession during a global recession.