Kurt Hepler and Dr. Nicholas Wheeler, Department of Political Science

Troubling Times in Bosnia and Herzegovina

In the wake of the brutal wars between Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks following the breakup of former Yugoslavia, many international organizations (IOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) poured into Bosnia and Herzegovina. These organizations were tasked with helping the country rebuild its badly damaged political, social, and economic infrastructure. But is there a point at which international organizations become too entrenched in the development of the country they are trying to help? My research project sought to answer this question through a comprehensive study of the impact that high levels of international involvement had on the development of state capacity in Bosnia specifically, and throughout the Balkans in general.

The Impact of Embeddedness: A Hypothesis

My research project is centered on the idea of institutional embeddedness. Embeddedness occurs, I argue, when organizations other than the state itself assume roles that are traditionally filled by the state. For example, when IOs entered Bosnia in the early 1990s, they took over many basic functions of the state, from building roads to holding elections. I argue that when IOs and NGOs become too embedded into a society, they actually weaken the state’s capacity and autonomy. When IOs perform state functions, the state is never required to develop its own institutions and abilities, which leads to the state becoming dependent on international organizations.

While theories of embeddedness are not new in comparative political science, few scholars have studied the lasting impact of embedded IOs on the development process. My research extends current scholarship by developing a unique quantitative measure for assessing the level of international embeddedness in a country. I hypothesize that the over-involvement of the Office of the High Representative—the primary international institution involved in Bosnian state development—has led to a weakened Bosnian state capacity. I further posit that this trend holds across all the Balkan states.

Exploring Embeddedness

My research project consisted of two general stages. First, I conducted quantitative research using the embeddedness scorecard that I created. This tool measures the aggregate involvement of IOs in a country by assessing the depth of the international community’s involvement in political, economic, military, and infrastructural projects. I applied this scorecard across nine nations in the Balkans and Southern Europe. The results of this part of my research confirmed my hypothesis that countries in which international organizations are more heavily entrenched (that is, countries in which there is greater embeddedness) have lower levels of state capacity and autonomy.

The second part of my research focused exclusively on embeddedness in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Specifically, I examined the effect that the prolonged and intensive presence of the European Union (EU) and the Office of the High Representative has had on Bosnia’s development. I travelled with Professor Nicholas Wheeler to Bosnia in June 2012 to conduct interviews with EU officials, representatives of various international organizations, and local leaders. These interviews revealed a story that is much deeper and more complex than my quantitative study suggested.

Many of the officials we spoke with recognized that IOs and NGOs play a vital supporting role in Bosnia. Indeed, some suggested that the Bosnian government would collapse if the international community was not so heavily involved in state affairs. Others expressed serious concerns for the future of the country due to rising ethnic tensions between Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks. These officials seemed to share one common opinion: international embeddedness, while certainly not ideal, is an important aspect of the institutional glue that is currently holding Bosnian society together.

We did run into some logistical problems when carrying out this project in Bosnia. Some of the officials with whom we had arranged interviews cancelled their appointments, while others never returned calls and emails. We overcame this difficulty by networking with those we did interview to set up appointments with officials we otherwise would not have been able to contact. I would, however, have liked more discussion with local Bosnian leaders to understand how their views differ from those of IO and NGO officials. Also, more time in country would have allowed us to conduct more interviews.

Conclusions: Moving Forward with Embeddedness

My research has already proven quite fruitful. My research paper was published in October 2012 in the Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union journal. The interviews that we conducted in Bosnia expanded my knowledge of the broader context of my research question in ways that textbooks and news reports never could. These interviews greatly improved my understanding of the social and cultural context behind Bosnia’s political woes. The insights that I gained into how the EU and the Office of the High Representative operate in Bosnia will be invaluable as I continue studying development in Bosnia and the Balkans.

I also intend to continue developing the embeddedness scorecard that I created for this project. Refining the mechanisms I use to measure embeddedness will help me improve the quality of the scorecard. The experience that I gained in Bosnia is proving very beneficial in this process. My ultimate goal is to create an accurate and relevant scorecard that can be used to assess international embeddedness in developing countries throughout the world. Embeddedness plays an important and often-ignored role in international development, and I hope that my research will contribute meaningfully to both scholarship and practical application in development settings.