Counting for what purpose? The paradox of including ethnic and cultural questions in the censuses of Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Macedonia

Abstract

Abstract The Western Balkan countries are on the long road to European Union (EU) membership. One aspect of the accession process is the requirement for a population census, which falls under the acquis communautaire chapter covering the statistics needed. In the Western Balkans, censuses have included questions on ethnicity, language, and religion. The collection of data on ethnic and cultural characteristics raises an unresolved paradox: such questions are highly sensitive, but, in order to be able to protect minorities through, for example, antidiscrimination laws, the authorities need to know that these minorities exist. This article uses the additional coverage model mixed methods approach to illustrate the effects of including ethnic and cultural characteristics in the census questionnaires in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Macedonia, where population numbers are used to determine group rights and/or proportional representation. The article argues that, although taking a census forms part of the EU conditions, it is not possible to speak of Europeanization in this area, since there is no coherent European approach on how to collect ethnic and cultural data. However, as what appears in the censuses is linked to rights, the census processes can be highly politicized, and this is being overlooked in the general process of Europeanization.