Think tanks play a crucial role in supporting and critically analyzing accession and reform processes in the Western Balkans. Their ideas and findings should not only be exchanged and discussed within expert communities; it is also vital that they be included in policy making and public debate. Such institutions can contribute decisively to enhancing the transparency and inclusiveness of the decision-making process.
TRAIN stands for Think Tanks Providing Research and Advice through Interaction and Networking. Since 2010, the TRAIN programme has supported think tanks in the EU candidate countries and potential candidate countries in the Western Balkans. Funded by the Stability for South Eastern Europe at the German Federal Foreign Office, the programme accompanies participants as they develop and undertake policy research and provides them with a platform for the exchange of ideas and best practices.
The opening seminar of the TRAIN 2017 Programme took place in Belgrade, where a two-day workshop was dedicated to advocacy and writing policy papers. After a research and write-up period, the participants gathered in June 2017 in Berlin, where they conducted an interim review of their policy research and focused on communication strategies. In November 2017 the group met to discuss their policy papers and receive recommendations from EU decision makers in Brussels. Communicating research findings then continued at the national level, with participants reaching out to the policy communities in their respective countries during a series of round tables and debates. As programme alumni, the participants will be able to actively contribute to the TRAIN network also in the future.
Policy Papiere 2017:
- Atlantic Initiative (AI), Bosnia and Herzegovina
Accreditation of Private Universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Administrative Formality or Quality Assurance? [PDF] - Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP), Serbia
The Cost of Security: Procurement Performance in the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia [PDF] - Belgrade Open School (BOS), Serbia
Quality Assurance and Open Date for Ranking in Serbian Higher Education – We Are Ready For It [PDF] - Centre for Civic Education (CCE/CGO), Montenegro
Science Behind Closed Doors: Lack of Transparency at UoM and What to Do About it [PDF] - Center for Intradisciplinary Social Applied Research (CISAR), Bosnia and Herzegovina
Institutional Perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tourism Sector: The Missing Ingredient [PDF] - Drilona Aliu, Independent Researcher, Kosovo
Political Parties in Kosovo. No Transparency, Where Do We Go From Here? [PDF] - Finance Think - Institute of Economic Research and Policy Making, Macedonia
Corruptive Practices Impede Economic Growth in Macedonia [PDF] - Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS), Kosovo
The Never-Ending Story of Kosovo’s Judicial System: Fixing the Unfixable! [PDF] - Institute Alternative (IA), Montenegro
Between Party Patronage, Nepotism and Corruption: Local Sector Employment in Montenegro [PDF] - Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM), Albania
Fighting Corruption in Albania: Improving the Efficiency of Internal Auditing [PDF] - Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis” (IDSCS), Macedonia
Everybody Does it: Youth Acceptance and Ignorance of Corruption [PDF] - UET Centre, Albania
Who Guards the Guards? Decision Making in the Public Procurement Review System in Albania [PDF]