Underdeveloped communities in Croatia: synergy of unfavourable
economic and social development
Ana MiljenovićFaculty of Law, dept. for Social Work
Social Work Social Development 2012: Action and Impact
• Community development is process and outcome (Phillips and Pittman, 2009) regarding 3 dimensions of ˝community˝:
Starting point for understanding UC: understanding community development
People: personal capacities, relation toward community and
collectiveness
Relations: cooperation, power relations, isolation, citizens’
participation…
Community as entity itself: locality, institutions,
infratructure, culture, social and political status…
Community development as outcome:community resources are increased or improved in certain
sense:† Infrastructure† Physical environment† Economical† Social: e.g. equal opportunities for all members† Cultural † Better social status of community† Improved political autonomy† Better quality of life† Better demographical structure …
Starting point for understanding UC: understanding community development (II)
Community development as process:activities, strategies and methods used toincrease community resourcesOr //what happens in community to increase itsresources
Foundation of ˝capable or sustainable community˝ concept (Wallman, 1982, Schoenberg, 1979 and Schoenberg i Rosenbaum, 1980)
Its members have competencies to participate in developmentalprocesses, negotiate, and establish organizations for actions, beinvolved in activities, maintain connections with significantsources and establish mechanisms for further communication
Starting point for understanding UC: understanding community development (III)
outcome
• Lack of economical sources, high unemployment, low income, lower education, lack of physical resources, lack of cultural activities, bad social status (stigmatised area); less political autonomy, unwanted geographical location, higher rate of emigration, decreased birthrate, increased delinquency, lower quality of life, higher inequalities, discrimination. lack of important institutions and services…
process• Lack of communication and negotiating among members,
lack of community action groups and structures, lack of citizens’ participation, lack of developmental activities in general
Based on CD- community could be seen as underdeveloped in terms of:
• Importance of dealing with UC issue in Croatia:
Underdeveloped communities as Croatian issue
State point: Equal regional development as significant for entire Croatian development
Individual point: Access to human rights for each individual: preventing social exclusion and multiple deprivation
Several foundations for detecting UC:1. War affected communities2. Communities in adverse geographical
location (mountains, islands)3. Other communities with adverse structural
indicators (mostly economical, demographical, educational)
Detecting UC or developmentally vulnerable communities in Croatia
• There hasn’t been any holistic scientific or practical approach
• Most interesting in practical and scientific sense were war affected communities and issues of:▫Psychosocial consequences of war▫Relations among ethnic groups (mostly Serbs
and Croats, even though demographical changes were more complex)
▫Minority rights▫Rebuilding of outdoor infrastructure
Approach to UC in Croatia
1. post- war – accent on war affected communities
2. end of 90’s and beginning of 2000. – accepting various foundation of underdevelopment- several legislative acts
3. more integrative approach to all communities in detecting their development status – in 2010.
* ˝Community˝ refers to municipalities based on their political establishment in early 90’s
Political approach to UC – three stages
Recognised in Act on areas under special state care (Official Gazette, 1996)
In beginning two groups: first by state border and second
Restrictive state injection measures – state provides help only in housing, fiscal sense, higher salaries to public administers (even though often they weren’t from affected areas) and benefits in using minerals and land
At first it referred to 72 municipality in total, and partially on some villages in 32 municipalities
Stage 1: war affected communities
Stage 2: recognising various types of development issues- late 90’s and 2000.
War affected communities: areas under special state care and Vukovar
Geographical adverse located communities: in mountain and hill areas and island
3rd type of areas under special state care based on adverse structural indicators
In 2001. Vukovar got special status with more state support than other affected communities and special fund was aimed to Vukovar’s development
New focus on developmentally vulnerable communities due to adverse geographical location: islands and mountain – hill areas.
* islands had much more attention, policy maker approch them as resource and gave larger autonomy in making developmental plan
Other mountain areas – detected as problem, not resource, with very limitied measures: mostly oriented to agriculture
Stage 2. (II)
• Areas under special state care: situation got complicated in 2003.
• Third type of communities were introduced, but not as war affected, but ˝other ˝ underdeveloped community
• However, law had some paradoxes:▫ Measures remained the some, but reduced (to
housing and fiscal benefits)▫ Rights were given gradually in sense that first group
had most, and third least right. Even though, they weren’t grouped by same criteria
Total of 110 municipalities
Stage 2. (III)
• 2010. Croatia entered new regional policy with Strategy of regional development and Act on regional development
• Very ambitious start traing to deal with problems that previous acts had:
• - reduction of measures• - neglecting process aspect of development• - uncelar criteria for selecting • - disconnection with wider social surrounding• - passive and state directed measures
Stage 3 – 2010/2011. new regional policy
Concrete changes: Introducing index of development Wider approach to development as social, economical,
political, ecological… Establishing infrastructure for monitoring and
statistical data base More accent on process dimensions: building strategic
plans, cooperation among all stakeholders Introducing fund for regional development Development as dinamic, not static process More influence by regional authorities (counties), and
less by state
Stage 3 (II)
Three underdeveloped communities – three stories, one solution?General indicators of underdevelopment: demographical
Population density
CroatiaVojnićGradinaCista Provo
Population drop 1991-2011 Croatia
VojnićGradinaCista Provo
vital indexCroatiaVojnićGradinaCista Provo
aging indexCroatiaVojnićGradinaCista Provo
Three underdeveloped communities – three stories, one solution?General indicators of underdevelopment: economic
developmental indexCroatiaVojnićGradinaCista Provo
Average income
CroatiaVojnićGradinaCista Provo
Unemployment rate
CroatiaVojnićGradinaCista Provo
Share of unemployed in population
CroatiaVojnićGradinaCista Provo
Three underdeveloped communities – three stories, one solution?Specific local context:
Vojnić, Karlovac county, middle Croatia • Deconstructed community – all vital features are
detoriated during war (industry, agriculture, ethnic relations, infrastructue)
• New community process haven’t been facilitated
Gradina, Virovitica county, east Croatia• Immerged community – no solid adaptation after
social transtion from socialist to capitalist system• Life is conserved partially with old habits, and not
developed new ones
Cista Provo, Split county, south Croatia• Latent community – no sense of collectiveness• No collective action due to previous emigration of
population
Working definiton and developmental prospects of underdeveloped communities
How does underdeveloped community in Croatia look like?
What are possible developmentat approaches?
Economic underdevelopmentAlmost equlised with underdevelopmentLack of financial resorcesUnactive economical actors
Raising economic standards as imperativ:Enhancing labour marketCapital investmentsentrepreneurship
Non-active colective livingPeaceful coexistence, but no active social networksUnderdeveloped social capitalAtmosphere of survivingOrientation toward individual personal and presence
Sthrengthening sense of collectiveness and people’s capacities for actionPromotion of collectiveness among social groups, mutuality and supportRaising knowledge and skills, sharing ideas and empowerment for involvmenet in collective action
Working definiton and developmental prospects of underdeveloped communities (2)
How does underdeveloped community in Croatia look like? (2)
What are possible developmentat approaches? (2)
Subordinated position in relation to wider surroundingStigmatisationInsuficient involvement in decision makingNew colonialisation- expoloatation of resources from outdoor actorsNon efficient normative standards
Promotion of external influence in providing basic resources (to enhance, but not to manage development)-Finance-Normative frame-Knowledge Sthrengthening impact of local government-Higher decentralisation
Unfinished infrastructure-Basic infrastructure is established-Lack of healt, social services-Services for children and elderly-Unsolved public transport
Introducing new features in community infrastructure-Services for elderly, youth, children-Providing information