Abstract: This report examines how cultural beliefs and practices influence gun ownership and use... more Abstract: This report examines how cultural beliefs and practices influence gun ownership and use in SEE, and how these might affect SALW control interventions. An anthropological approach was taken to better understand the reasons for civilian gun ownership and use, and the ways in which society represents these behaviours, in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro (including the UN Administered Territory of Kosovo). A wide variety of ...
Drawing on his own experiences in Albania and then Kosovo, Skendaj uses the missionary imagery to... more Drawing on his own experiences in Albania and then Kosovo, Skendaj uses the missionary imagery to argue that interveners are motivated by both ideals as well as by pragmatic, strategic goals. Just like international bureaucrats and activists, scholars face concerns about the type of interventions that occur in post-war societies. After evaluating different types of intervention, Skendaj argues that a productive approach for social scientists to both gain theoretical knowledge and make a difference on the ground is to engage in targeted micro-interventions. Thereby, we can satisfy both demands of being impartial researchers and ethically supporting actors that promote democracy and peace.
Can international actors build effective state bureaucracies in postwar countries? While the lite... more Can international actors build effective state bureaucracies in postwar countries? While the literature on state institutions suggests they are best built under local ownership, this article shows how international actors in collaboration with local actors managed to build two effective state bureaucracies in postwar Kosovo: the police force and the customs service. Contrary to the article's Hypothesis 1 on local ownership, international actors insulated the effective bureaucracies from political and societal influences in order to prevent them from becoming sites of patronage. Thus, these institutions built on meritocratic recruitment and promotion. Employing a comparative research design, the article utilizes national survey data as well as data from 150 semistructured interviews conducted during ten months of fieldwork in Kosovo. By contrasting the state's constituent bureaucracies, which vary in effectiveness, and thus avoiding the reduction of the state to a unitary abstract actor, this research offers a fresh perspective on postwar state building. Furthermore, it contributes three innovative sets of indicators to measure effective bureaucracies: mission fulfillment, penalization of corruption, and responsiveness to the public.
Th is article presents a case study of the dynamics of implementing an internationally-funded pea... more Th is article presents a case study of the dynamics of implementing an internationally-funded peace education project at the local level. Drawing on the author's personal experience as Albanian National Coordinator for the Peace and Disarmament Education Program, a project of the UN Department for Disarmament Aff airs, and the Hague Appeal for Peace, the article evaluates the impact, challenges, and lessons learned at each stage of project design and implementation.
Abstract: This report examines how cultural beliefs and practices influence gun ownership and use... more Abstract: This report examines how cultural beliefs and practices influence gun ownership and use in SEE, and how these might affect SALW control interventions. An anthropological approach was taken to better understand the reasons for civilian gun ownership and use, and the ways in which society represents these behaviours, in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro (including the UN Administered Territory of Kosovo). A wide variety of ...
Drawing on his own experiences in Albania and then Kosovo, Skendaj uses the missionary imagery to... more Drawing on his own experiences in Albania and then Kosovo, Skendaj uses the missionary imagery to argue that interveners are motivated by both ideals as well as by pragmatic, strategic goals. Just like international bureaucrats and activists, scholars face concerns about the type of interventions that occur in post-war societies. After evaluating different types of intervention, Skendaj argues that a productive approach for social scientists to both gain theoretical knowledge and make a difference on the ground is to engage in targeted micro-interventions. Thereby, we can satisfy both demands of being impartial researchers and ethically supporting actors that promote democracy and peace.
Can international actors build effective state bureaucracies in postwar countries? While the lite... more Can international actors build effective state bureaucracies in postwar countries? While the literature on state institutions suggests they are best built under local ownership, this article shows how international actors in collaboration with local actors managed to build two effective state bureaucracies in postwar Kosovo: the police force and the customs service. Contrary to the article's Hypothesis 1 on local ownership, international actors insulated the effective bureaucracies from political and societal influences in order to prevent them from becoming sites of patronage. Thus, these institutions built on meritocratic recruitment and promotion. Employing a comparative research design, the article utilizes national survey data as well as data from 150 semistructured interviews conducted during ten months of fieldwork in Kosovo. By contrasting the state's constituent bureaucracies, which vary in effectiveness, and thus avoiding the reduction of the state to a unitary abstract actor, this research offers a fresh perspective on postwar state building. Furthermore, it contributes three innovative sets of indicators to measure effective bureaucracies: mission fulfillment, penalization of corruption, and responsiveness to the public.
Th is article presents a case study of the dynamics of implementing an internationally-funded pea... more Th is article presents a case study of the dynamics of implementing an internationally-funded peace education project at the local level. Drawing on the author's personal experience as Albanian National Coordinator for the Peace and Disarmament Education Program, a project of the UN Department for Disarmament Aff airs, and the Hague Appeal for Peace, the article evaluates the impact, challenges, and lessons learned at each stage of project design and implementation.
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Papers by Elton Skendaj