The Injustice of Poverty and Inequality and its links to Regional Security of the Balkans

• Main Author: Astrid Orovcanec
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Faculty of Philosophy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje 2017-06-01
• Series: Bezbednosni Dijalozi
• Subjects: poverty; horizontal inequalities; injustice; security; democracy
• Online Access: http://periodica.fzf.ukim.edu.mk/sd/SD%2008.1%20(2017)/SD%2008.1.11%20Orovcanec,%20A.%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Injustice%20of%20Poverty%20and%20Inequality%20and%20its%20links%20to%20Regional%20Security.pdf

The fundamental question this paper seeks to address is how poverty and inequality are affecting peace and security specifically in the Balkan region? It is argued that the very high poverty and inequality have serious security implications i.e. they may lead to tensions (ethical, social, political, etc.) due to the perception of injustice, undermining the trust in democracy and eventually destabilizing the already fragile region. The research results are based on the application of content analysis of numerous sources, secondary analysis of statistical data, and comparative analysis. The results will show that the region is characterized by very high human insecurity due to very high poverty and inequality both on a national and regional level. Since both poverty and inequality are structural challenges to security, regional stability depends on countries’ capabilities to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities through the completion of necessary structural adjustments, regional cooperation, and European integration.