Counting for EU enlargement? Census-taking in Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia

The main research question of this thesis is: What accounts for the variation in compliance with the EU census regulations in Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia? This project builds on a mixed methods approach, which combines in-depth interview data with an expert survey collected in two rounds. This strategy of data collection is innovative and provides us with the domestic perspective as well as the broader European perspective on census-taking.

The overall results of this research can be summarised in three main findings. First, the analysis shows that especially if rights and proportional representation of power are connected to the census outcomes, this can politicise and seriously hinder census processes. Second, by accepting or disputing the EU census regulations, domestic actors can respectively either facilitate or obstruct the compliance with the EU census regulations. This is related to the first aspect, because the acceptance of the EU census regulations depends on the potential gain or loss of power based on the census outcomes for the domestic actors. Third, depending on the available rewards and direct pressure of the EU, the EU might be able to overcome domestic disputes and tip the balance in favour of compliance. The results of this research lead to a better understanding of census-taking and show that although the census is based on statistical procedures and regulations, it ultimately remains highly politicised.

Hoh, A.-L. K. I. (2018). Counting for EU enlargement? Census-taking in Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia. Dissertation, Maastricht University, doi:10.26481/dis.20180926ah.