ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes an analytical grid that will enhance our understanding of the transformation of citizenship in the unconsolidated and challenged states in south-eastern Europe. Citizenship is a mirror of the state's identity and the above framework can help us to understand the functioning of contemporary polities. Historical institutionalism looks at the tradition of nation-building as the nexus from which citizenship regimes emanate. Rational choice institutionalists sought to mitigate the limits of historical institutionalism by switching the focus from structure to agents in making political decisions. Sociological institutionalism seeks to provide a loose umbrella approach to looking at the origins and development of citizenship. Unconsolidated states are characterized by three traits emerging from the discrepant state and nation-building processes, which prevented the rise of constitutional nationalism and thus of ethnified citizenship regimes. The notion of Europeanization is an umbrella concept, denoting a set of processes triggered by the interaction between the national governments and the European Union (EU).
