Research on the Attitudes of Civil Society Organisations and Young People
The research on the youth policies and policy-making processes in the Western Balkans, conducted as part of the regional project entitled Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe – RYDE, provides an analysis of the current viewpoints held by both youth organisations and youths themselves, regarding youth policies in this region. The research covers six economies: Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
The focus of the research was to collect data on the attitudes toward existing youth policies, effectiveness of youth policies at local/national/regional and other levels and the priorities of marginalised youth groups in respective policies. Both youth CSOs and young individuals (civic and political activists, policy-makers, journalists, scholars, etc.) participated in the research.
Following this, two complementary surveys were conducted concurrently in all economies – one focusing on youth organisations through interviews, and the other on a broader spectrum of stakeholders, through an online survey. For the purpose of this research, two questionnaires have been developed – one for interviews with CSOs and the other for the online survey. Both questionnaires were translated into the local languages and applied to all economies.
From August – October 2023, a total of 151 interviews with CSO representatives were conducted in the Western Balkans economies. The interviews were followed by an online survey conducted throughout October and November 2023. The survey included 1,366 youth individuals in these economies. Both surveys aimed to assess the state of youth policies, the level of participation of youth in their design, their effectiveness and the perspectives of the youth-related policy-making processes.
Across the Western Balkan economies common threads emerge in the assessment of youth policies and policy-making processes. While CSOs in most countries are involved in the policy-making process (with Albania showing the lowest participation rate of only 28% of interviewed CSOs taking part in policy-making process and North Macedonia following with 29.9% of CSO participation), youth individuals consistently face limited participation in the policy-making process while encountering obstacles such as insufficient resources or political support.
The efficiency of the policy-making apparatus is a shared concern in all WB economies. Neither economy’s policy-making process showed efficiency of more than 3.2 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is ‘very bad’ and 5 is ‘excellent’. Bureaucratic difficulties and a lack of transparency are common impediments hindering the progress.
Marginalised youth in all WB6 include those with disabilities, young people from the LGBTQ+ community, young Roma individuals, youth from rural areas, youth belonging to ethnic minority groups and youth from other marginalised communities. All of the respondents assess that the needs of these groups are not properly and adequately targeted by existing policies.
Recommendations stemming from collective findings advocate for increased transparency and collaboration between state institutions and youth organisations in all WB economies. To address efficiency concerns, there is a call for improvements in the policy-making process, emphasising inclusivity and streamlined procedures. Priority is placed on recognising and supporting marginalised youth groups, urging policy-makers to tailor initiatives to their specific needs. Furthermore, fostering greater youth involvement in decision-making processes is recommended, underlining the importance of training and empowerment programmes that will amplify the impact of youth voices in shaping policies.
Read more on situation in each country in the Survey Summary.
Download the full text of the Report: Western Balkans Youth in Policy Making Processes
The research on the youth policies and policy-making processes in the Western Balkans has been conducted as part of the regional project entitled Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe – RYDE. The project is funded by the European Union. The project has been implemented by the Center for Democracy Foundation from Serbia in cooperation with civil society organisations (CSOs) operating in the Western Balkans: Academy of European Integrations and Negotiations and Youth Act Center (Albania), Kosovar Stability Initiative (Kosovo*), Network of Progressive Initiatives (Bosnia and Herzegovina), NGO Info Center Foundation (North Macedonia) and Regional Academy for Democratic Development (Serbia).
