Democratization in Serbia: An Analysis of Rational Choice and Structuralist Explanations ABSTRACT ---This paper explains political democratization in Post-Milosevic Serbia utilizing two different accounts of the democratization process: one rooted in the rational choice

--This paper explains political democratization in Post-Milosevic Serbia utilizing two different accounts of the democratization process: one rooted in the rational choice framework and the other in structuralism. While rational choice explains the decisive role of political leadership in overcoming path dependence, the structuralist explanations show the transnational linkages that encourage democratization in the face of domestic setbacks. This particular debate between the two types of explanations represents the larger debate concerning the role of internal factors and external linkages in propelling democratization in transitional societies. The paper concludes by integrating the two sets of explanations offered by each theoretical perspective, in order to develop a coherent understanding of Serbia's democratization. Since the ouster of Slobodan Milosevic from power in 2000, Serbia has been on a path towards democratization. It has sought to introduce democratic principles through institutional reform, to protect human rights and secure the rule of law (European Commission 2013). Serbia has undertaken extensive liberalization and has begun to restructure its economy (ibid.), which has had direct political effects as new actors have emerged from these processes to contest political power. In addition, Serbia has strengthened its ties with Western democracies by joining or seeking membership in institutions such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union (EU), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Membership in these organizations has been the key to pursuing political and economic reforms that have reinforced Serbia's democratizing efforts. While the decisions to implement democratic reforms may seem straightforward given the extensive democracy promotion assistance during the Milosevic era (Presnall 2009; Spoerri 2010) as well as subsequent democracy promotion initiatives (Edmunds 2009, 129), it should not be taken for granted. Key institutions have resisted democratic reform (Edmunds 2008; Bieber 2011) and segments of Serbian society have expressed affinity for the values of authoritarian collectivism and redistributive statism (Lazic and Cvejic 2007). Given the latter, this paper will outline two different accounts of the process of democratization in Serbia one rooted in rational choice or voluntarism, the other in structuralism.1 The paper will argue that both approaches contribute to the understanding of democratization in Serbia. Explanations rooted in the rational 1 While it is difficult to separate the two accounts, to provide a perspective on the transition that is "entirely voluntarist" or "entirely structuralist," as both structures and purposive actors played some role in democratic transition and consolidation, the two theoretical orientations will be kept distinct for the purpose of this paper in order to highlight the contrasting points of emphasis in each perspective.