Democracy and its setbacks have become nowadays a central topic of insights and discussions among scholars and not only. Recent measurements of the specific indicators that democracy as a regime encompasses are witnessing an overall decline among countries be them semi-democratic regimes or full democracies. An important region where these democratic trends need to be further evaluated and explored by an in depth analysis is Southeastern Europe. It is a region which has dealt with a difficult communist past and is now striving for democratic consolidation. What is more, its integration prospects along with the strategic geopolitical position have gained the attention of other political actors aiming to have an influence such as Russia. \nBy trying to identify if democracy is at risk in Southeastern Europe, this paper tries to shed light on the path that democracy has had along with obstacles and the opportunities for it to succeed. What is more, such recent developments and possible presence of authoritarianism are important to be further addressed in order for the right measures (in terms of policies and actions) to be taken. In order for this to be achieved, methodologically the paper focuses on two approaches: first, focusing and analyzing the states themselves with regard to political and economic developments as well as quantitatively focusing on important indicators; second, it provides a macro analysis on the integration prospects along with other European developments and beyond

Login to Download PDF

Please login with your Paper ID and password to access the full PDF.

🔑 Login to Download