Progressive Policy Innovations at the Local Government Level
Session
Political Science
Description
This paper examines three recent policies at the municipal level in Kosovo, namely: an education reform in Kamenica that reorganized schools with the purpose of creating bigger classes from scattered schools consisting of very few students, a policy of free public transport for retirees in Prishtina, and a policy of public maintenance of living blocs of apartments in Prishtina. The policies were all progressive in their nature. They aimed to contribute to the emancipation of students by providing better learning environments and improving the living conditions of the retirees and citizens of Prishtina. The policies were encompassing, and social-investment oriented (Kamenica) or redistributive (all). All three policies emerged when left-leaning parties gained power for the first time. This means that democracy, through the means of political parties, is reflected in distributive politics. With the power of the left rising in recent years, this finding may indicate the direction that the policies can take in the years to come in other municipalities and at the national level. However, while institutions were successfully used to implement path-departing policies in a previously neoliberal-inspired context and despite various positive outcomes, not all policies survived. The local population and teachers mobilized against the reform of the municipality of Kamenica, and the politicization of this mobilization by electoral competition caused backtracking from the policy. Furthermore, none of the policies, despite positive learning, has diffused in other municipalities. These findings indicate that democracy does not necessarily lead to progressive reforms if actors do not commit to it.
Keywords:
Local administration, Politics, Policy, Education, Free transport, Housing.
Proceedings Editor
Edmond Hajrizi
ISBN
978-9951-550-50-5
Location
Lipjan, Kosovo
Start Date
29-10-2022 12:00 AM
End Date
30-10-2022 12:00 AM
DOI
10.33107/ubt-ic.2022.38
Recommended Citation
Hoxha, Bardh, "Progressive Policy Innovations at the Local Government Level" (2022). UBT International Conference. 38.
https://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/conference/2022/all-events/38
Progressive Policy Innovations at the Local Government Level
Lipjan, Kosovo
This paper examines three recent policies at the municipal level in Kosovo, namely: an education reform in Kamenica that reorganized schools with the purpose of creating bigger classes from scattered schools consisting of very few students, a policy of free public transport for retirees in Prishtina, and a policy of public maintenance of living blocs of apartments in Prishtina. The policies were all progressive in their nature. They aimed to contribute to the emancipation of students by providing better learning environments and improving the living conditions of the retirees and citizens of Prishtina. The policies were encompassing, and social-investment oriented (Kamenica) or redistributive (all). All three policies emerged when left-leaning parties gained power for the first time. This means that democracy, through the means of political parties, is reflected in distributive politics. With the power of the left rising in recent years, this finding may indicate the direction that the policies can take in the years to come in other municipalities and at the national level. However, while institutions were successfully used to implement path-departing policies in a previously neoliberal-inspired context and despite various positive outcomes, not all policies survived. The local population and teachers mobilized against the reform of the municipality of Kamenica, and the politicization of this mobilization by electoral competition caused backtracking from the policy. Furthermore, none of the policies, despite positive learning, has diffused in other municipalities. These findings indicate that democracy does not necessarily lead to progressive reforms if actors do not commit to it.