Involvement of CSOs in Development Projects: The Case of the Projects Implemented Under IPA Component I in Serbia in the Period 2007-2013

Abstract

Ever since civil society organizations were formally recognized as important actors in development processes, significant effort has been put forth in order to incorporate their engagement into aid delivery practices in a consistent and systematic manner. This ongoing endeavor of the international development community should be viewed in the context of the evolution of the concept of ownership, which now comprises wider range of actors, including local communities and civil society. The issue of achieving ownership in development processes is of particular importance in contexts which are still treated as transitional and supported largely by international donor assistance. One such context is subject of this thesis. A research was carried out in order to explore to what extent and in what way the civil society organizations were involved in designing and implementing projects funded through Component I of the EU’s Instrument of Pre-accession (IPA) in Serbia in the programming period 2007-2013. The purpose of the research was to provide a stakeholder-based evaluation of the current situation in terms of the level of involvement of civil society in EU-funded projects. The first part of the research was desk-based: after laying out key aspects of the EU’s pre-accession assistance and the methodology applied, a review of available documentation pertinent to the involvement of civil society in EU’s IPA projects for the period 2007-2013 follows, with information summarized in a SWOT analysis. This analysis was then reassessed and revised in the second part of the research, in view of the findings drawn from the interviews conducted with relevant stakeholders involved in above projects. Finally, the last part of the thesis summarizes key observations and conclusions that resulted from the research and proposes recommendations for an improved planning of the pre-accession assistance in Serbia and a more effective performance of all actors concerned.