Political perspectives: journal for political research
Political Perspectives is a regional scholarly journal that publishes articles in political science and related disciplines. The journal focuses on political research broadly conceived and we welcome submissions of relevant manuscripts from related disciplines, including law, sociology, philosophy and economics. We also encourage the sumbission of manuscripts that come from different subfields of our discipline, different approaches and methodological orientations. The only criteria for publication are professional standards, applied through anonimous reviews, and the manuscript’s relevance.
Faculty of Political Science of Zagreb University, Faculty of Political Science of Belgrade University and Serbian Political Science Association
Govornička analiza televizijskog sučeljavanja tijekom parlamentarnih izbora u Hrvatskoj 2024. godine
This paper analyzes the rhetoric of the participants in televised confrontations during the parliamentary elections in Croatia in 2024, with a special emphasis on the use of verbal and non-verbal communication. In a year marked as a "super-election" year, parliamentary, European and presidential elections are held, and rhetorical skills and well-executed televised confrontations can play an important role in the victory of a certain political option. With the power of modern media and the speed of information dissemination, as well as the ability of every voter to get detailed information, the room for mistakes in politicians' public appearances is significantly reduced. The research results show how representatives of political parties used different rhetorical strategies during the confrontation, depending on their political goals and positions. Opposition parties, such as SDP, Mozemo!, Most and the Homeland Movement, mostly used offensive strategies, while HDZ representatives used defensive strategies to emphasize their results and minimize criticism. The conducted research gave answers to the question of how party representatives want to make a better impression on the viewer with their performance, which issues are the biggest debates, and what discrediting the opponent looks like. The research results indicate that the performances of political representatives did not deviate significantly from the achieved election results. Also, the results showed that reasoned debates between political actors of different ideological orientations and party affiliations are possible, which can ultimately influence undecided voters.
retorika, televizijska sučeljavanja, politička kampanja, politička komunikacija
Copyright (c) 2025 Political perspectives: journal for political research
REFORM OF THE FISCAL FRAMEWORK OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND IMPACT REVIEW
This article explores the reform of the European Union's fiscal framework, focusing on the evolution of fiscal rules, their implications, and the recent updates introduced in 2024. The analysis begins with an overview of the EU's fiscal governance structure, emphasizing its historical foundations in the Maastricht Treaty and subsequent reforms. The study employs a review-based methodology, analyzing key policies such as the Stability and Growth Pact, the Fiscal Compact, and the European Semester. The 2024 reform is critically examined, highlighting its central aim to ensure sustainable public finances while enabling counter-cyclical policies and addressing macroeconomic imbalances. The findings indicate improved flexibility and sustainability compared to prior frameworks, yet challenges persist, such as balancing fiscal discipline with necessary investments in transnational public goods and addressing disparities among Member States. We contribute to understanding the complexities of EU fiscal governance and offers insights into future policy directions to enhance economic resilience and integration.
Drawing on recent literature on emergence and variations of capitalism in post-communist Europe, this article situates the post-communist transition of Serbia within its wider regional context and highlights rarely discussed international economic influences on the trajectories and outcomes of Serbia’s economic and political transitions. The main thesis is that the trajectory and outcome of Serbia’s transition were largely determined by the country falling behind in the regional race to attract foreign capital in the 1990s. Limiting the country's long-term attractiveness for foreign investment, the first transitional decade shaped the economic and political choices available to subsequent Serbian governments. By making it impossible to find answers to the problem of mass unemployment, the modest inflow of foreign capital made it difficult to consolidate democracy in the first decade of the 2000s. After the outbreak of the World Economic Crisis in 2008, in partially changed international circumstances, Serbia found a way to attract more foreign capital through specialization in labor-intensive, export-oriented industries with low added value. This post-crisis model of development, although suboptimal in the long term, solved the problem of mass unemployment, thus contributing to the consolidation of the authoritarian rule of Aleksandar Vučić.
I WOULD DONATE, BUT OTHERS WON’T FOLLOW: THE IMPACT OF PRESUMED CONSENT FOR ORGAN DONATION ON PREFERENCES AND PERCEIVED DESCRIPTIVE SOCIAL NORMS IN SERBIA
The study examined organ donation preferences and perceived descriptive social norms under presumed consent for organ donation, a public policy proposed to address low organ donation rates in Serbia. Conducted as an online between-subjects experiment with students in Serbia, the research included two hypothetical organ donation conditions: opt-in (explicit consent) and opt-out (presumed consent). The opt-out default significantly increased willingness to donate but did not affect assumptions about others' preferences under the same default. This finding suggests that perceived descriptive social norms may hinder the opt-out default's effect on actual organ donation rates. Additionally, it implies that other potential mediating mechanisms, besides descriptive social norms, may be more significant drivers of the effect of opt-out defaults on donation intentions.
The International Political Role of the Catholic Church Dogmas
The paper investigates the political role of the last Catholic dogmas proclaimed in the 19th and the first half of the 20th century: the immaculate conception, the primacy of the pope, the papal infallibility (ex cathedra), and the assumption of Mary. The paper aims to explain their political role in the concrete international context. The dogmatization of certain church teachings comes as a consequence of socio-political challenges, and the political role of dogmas is interpreted from the perspective of the theoretical concept of norm entrepreneurship and the transnational soft power of religious actors. The historical method was used in the work. However, the presented findings point to the long-term importance of studying the relationship between dogma and politics: in order to expand knowledge about the political behavior of the Roman Catholic Church (scientific salience) and to understand the nature of normative entrepreneurship directed at the global Catholic society in all historical moments (social salience).
Copyright (c) 2024 Political perspectives: journal for political research
Does Democratic Legitimacy Have a Boundary Problem? Not if You're a Realist
Abizadeh has argued that when democratic theory defines the people who comprise a demos, the character of that theory is self-referential because the democratic principle of legitimacy invokes the same people over whom democratic rule is exercised. On this view, the legitimate outcome of a decision is simultaneously its precondition. This challenge to democratic legitimacy is known as the legitimate boundary problem. In this realist reply informed by Bernard Williams, I argue that Abizadeh's position renders democratic legitimation an undesirably open-ended question and that democratic legitimacy is satisfied internally, with reference only to the state's citizens as its demos.
The Role of School Leadership in Education Policy Implementation
In the field of education policy, ‘translating’ national policies into practice requires numerous synchronized interventions of a multiplicity of actors at different levels of education administration and its outer environment. Prompted by the lack of understanding about what may facilitate or hinder the policy success at school level and the role school leadership plays in this process, in this article we propose the use of an emerging conceptual framework organised around three analytical axes: a. contextualising the known factors affecting policy implementation within the education policy field, b. developing a typology of school leadership, and c. conceptualising an approach to explain the dynamic processes of exercising influence over the factors of policy implementation by the key school-level ‘agents’ of change – school leaders. Given the absence of a grand theory of (education) policy implementation, we argue that in designing a research framework for an empirical examination of a dynamic and multi-layered phenomenon of policy implementation from the perspective of school leaders researchers need to use a holistic approach while building on the legacy of the scholarly work from the multiple academic disciplines.
EMBRACING CHANGE? ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF GENERATION Z IN SERBIA ON KOSOVO ISSUE
This paper explores the perspectives of Generation Z in Serbia on the ongoing issue of Kosovo, a topic central to understanding future regional dynamics amid efforts towards normalization and reconciliation. Despite growing up in a post-conflict era, Generation Z remains influenced by historical ethnic and political tensions, particularly around national identity. The key research question addressed is: How does Generation Z in Serbia perceive and influence the Kosovo issue? To explore this, we employed a qualitative approach, conducting eight focus groups and ten in-depth interviews with Serbian youth. Our study sheds light on the deeply entrenched ethnocentric attitudes within this generation, with a strong emphasis on identity, nationalism, and resistance to normalization. Contrary to expectations of a more progressive outlook from younger cohorts, the findings reveal that Kosovo is perceived predominantly through a nationalistic lens, suggesting that Generation Z's radical views could pose challenges to future reconciliation efforts.
Reach and dissemination channels of (selected) disinformation narratives in Serbia
Abstract: This study investigates the reach and dissemination channels of selected disinformation narratives in Serbia. Through a survey-based approach (N=800), the research examines seven such cases identified through fact-checking portals: alleged Russian aid superiority, alleged Ukrainian biolabs, purported Western cultural censorship, supposed Soros's global influence, claimed Serbian-Sanskrit connections, alleged Western origins of COVID-19, and misrepresented UN policies on sexuality. The findings reveal a significant reach of these narratives, with four out of seven being recognized by over half of the respondents. Variations in exposure and belief across different narratives potentially stem from factors such as ideological alignment, plausibility, timing, and the presence of counter-narratives. A "market" of disinformation exists on TV, digital news services, and social media, while traditional press and radio play an almost negligible role in disseminating these narratives. This research adds to the growing body of work examining disinformation in illiberal contexts. It provides initial observations on how false information circulates in a media environment where political control is prevalent and media independence is under pressure, pointing to areas for future research in this complex field.
Mihail Šiškin, Moja Rusija. Rat ili mir?, TIM press, Zagreb, 2024, str. 225
Inequalities in the labor market in Serbia: causes, consequences, condition
The subject of this research are inequalities, their causes and their consequences, as well as the characteristics of the labor market at the end of the second and the beginning of the third decade of the XXI century in Serbia. The aim of the work is to show the level of employment and unemployment, the level of socioeconomic inequalities, poverty and exclusion in the period from 2018 to 2023 in Serbia. The analysis of labor market data in Serbia indicates that in recent years there has been a stabilization of the labor market, an increase in employment and a reduction in poverty. The method of description in the context of desk research was used to present this data. The hypothesis that the level of unemployment has been decreasing in the last six years has been confirmed through empirical data. The sources of data used in this paper are the Labor Force Survey in Serbia published by the Republic Statistical Office and Eurostat, the European database for EU countries, as well as future candidate countries.
Prikaz knjige: Jelena Lončar, Performans političkog predstavljanja: čemu služe govori predstavnika?
Is Populism Inherently Illiberal? Insights from Kirchnerism and SYRIZA in Power
This article delves into the academic discussion on the relationship between populism and liberal democracy, criticizing the idea that all populist movements, parties, and leaders are inherently illiberal or authoritarian. Drawing from a Laclauian perspective, it argues that populism constitutes an integral component of democratic politics, giving voice to marginalized people and possessing the potential to adhere to the principles of liberal democracy. Through the examination of left-wing populist cases in Argentina [Kirchnerism (2003-2015)] and Greece [SYRIZA (2015-2019)], we aim to demonstrate the inadequacy of the illiberal approaches, that appear indifferent to their pluralistic and inclusive elements, in explaining the phenomenon. Thus, we provide a response to this query: Is every populist case necessarily illiberal?
Šta možemo da radimo i kakve živote možemo da vodimo?
This paper focuses on the capability/capabilities approach as a conceptual framework for assessing human well-being and as a normative paradigm for assessing human development and social justice. The capability/capabilities approach represents an alternative and a richer view of social development; that is, a view which implies that people have the freedom to realize their potentials and lead lives that they have reason to value. Moreover, the capability/capabilities approach defends the idea that social justice requires the provision of certain valuable capabilities to all citizens at least to the level required for a dignified life. This paper pays special emphasis on one key problem which besets the capability/capabilities approach. Namely, which capabilities are valuable? How should they be determined? By analyzing the “theoretical-reflective approach” and the “deliberative-democratic approach” as mutually opposed approaches to the project of determining valuable human capabilities for normative purposes, we argue that it is possible to combine these two approaches in a fruitful way.
ljudske sposobnosti, funkcionisanja, pristup zasnovan na sposobnostima, blagostanje, razvoj, pravda.
Gender Equality in Criminal Justice Policy Against Stalking in Croatia
Stalking is a cause of psychological damage, a form of victimization, and a warning for future violence. As a criminal offense, it was introduced in the Penal Code of the Republic of Croatia, in force since 2013, but there are still problems with defining it precisely. Given that the victims of stalking in most cases are women, the fact that this crime is not gender specific is often overlooked. Although studies have shown that female stalkers do not differ significantly from male ones, gender bias often leads to an underestimation of women’s potential for violence. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is gender equality in penal policy towards stalking in Croatia. To answer this question, the authors analyzed the court judgements from various courts in the Republic of Croatia and paired it with a survey to get an insight into the citizen's perception of stalking.
EU Enlargement Policy between the Chronological Precedence of the Western Balkans and the Geopolitical Urgency in the Eastern Neighborhood: a Realist Perspective
This study adopts a realist approach to explore how geopolitical factors influence the European Union's (EU) decision to expand into neighbouring regions of strategic importance or vulnerability to major powers' influence. It specifically examines the obstacles posed by the absence of a unanimous stance on "pre-scheduled" accessions, as seen in the earlier "eastern enlargement" rounds. It is argued that the present geopoliticized EU enlargement policy seems to be guided by realist factors, although it is characterized by an incongruity between strategic rhetoric and strategic actions. This inconsistency between expressed intentions and actual measures is more evident in the Western Balkans than in the Eastern neighbourhood. Through the selected, broadly set realist elements – groupism, egoism and power-centrism – the EU’s foreign policy strategy and behaviour are examined, searching for a gap between the discursive and practical domains in both regions. The research considers that the EU's response has not predominantly been strategic but rather tactical, reflecting the enlargement policy’s longstanding deficiencies, coupled with the urgent need to extend commitments to the eastern partners facing immediate security threats. Such tendencies are disadvantageous for the Western Balkans, which became a lower priority for the EU despite its chronological precedence in the enlargement domain. While ideally, both enlargement regions should be granted an "accession timetable" along with on-ground democratic reforms, the authors highlight that due to differing geopolitical dynamics and pressure, the outcomes for the two regions may either diverge in terms of potential favouring of the new candidates or, perhaps more likely, converge – meaning that the accession of either region might be postponed once the geopolitical urgency subsides.
Dimensions of Europeanisation: impact of Serbo-Russian relations on the course of the EU integration of Serbia
The paper analyses fluid dimension of Europeanisation and examines how relations between Serbia and Russia impacted the course of the EU integration of Serbia. Empirical analysis is based not only on an extensive desk but also 22 interviews with policy experts and institutional representatives conducted during fieldwork in Belgrade and Brussels. The paper addresses constructivist perspective on Serbo-Russian mythologised and instrumentalised friendship used for political purposes and relations with the EU. At the same time, it takes into consideration the geopolitical context and consequences of the war in Ukraine for Serbian foreign policy. The text examines to what extent Russia has been treated as a condition in the Serbian EU integration framework and concentrates on EU’s sanctions against Russia, alignment with EU’s foreign policy and pressure towards Serbia to impose sanctions targeting Russia.
Trideset godina od Kopenhagena – Proširenje 3.0;
The Enlargement Policy of the European Union was created at the beginning of the 90s of the 20th Century as a response to the demands of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe for accession to the Union. Given the several previous waves of Enlargement, the Union's aim was primarily to institutionalize previous experiences and thus create a set of standardized rules for the accession process. Over the years, the Enlargement Policy has undergone several changes and reforms determined by previous enlargement experiences, institutional and political challenges in the functioning of the Union itself, but also political developments in the regions where the Enlargement Policy operates. Consequently, it found itself in a state of hyper-institutionalization and as such represents a "moving target" for countries in the process of accession. Practice has shown that the stated dynamics of institutionalization did not improve the performance of the Enlargement Policy. On the contrary, there were no new enlargements, and the Union, affected by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, changed the objectives of the Enlargement. It is now aimed at new states that until that moment had not built institutional ties with the prospect of membership, and in the Western Balkans region, new priorities were set in the negotiations. We can characterize these changes as essential, and accordingly emphasize that thirty years after the Copenhagen Criteria were promoted, the Union and the member states prioritized the political dimension of Enlargement. The paper analyzes the main directions of development of the Enlargement Policy with special reference to the shift of focus from the Rule of Law to alignment with the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the Union, as well as the change in institutional ties with the countries of the Eastern Partnership with the basic thesis that after the prioritization of the rule of law, this is the second essential change in the Enlargement Policy.
Temporary Protection of Persons Displaced from Ukraine: Between International Protection and Migration Management in the EU
The armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine has profoundly impacted the lives of people in these courtiers, particularly in Ukraine. Due to the conflict, nearly 8 million individuals have been displaced from Ukraine, a statistic reported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2023. These displaced persons have sought refuge in various regions, notably within EU and Western Balkan countries. In response to the massive influx of people from Ukraine, the EU activated the temporary protection mechanism for the first time. The aim of this paper is to examine whether the temporary protection provided to displaced persons from Ukraine represents an appropriate form of international protection or is rather an instrument by which states tried to manage the large migratory flow that followed as a result of the conflict. While acknowledging the critical role of temporary protection in safeguarding individuals affected by armed conflict, we propose that its activation was primarily driven by interests related to managing migration flows. To support this claim, we will examine the following aspects: the political nature and influence in the activation of temporary protection; the potential for temporary protection to obscure the diverse needs of those fleeing Ukraine thereby impacting their legal status determination; and the impending expiration of temporary protection, along with the lack of a publicly discussed adequate exit strategy by EU, and subsequently Serbia, which risks leaving those under temporary protection in a state of legal uncertainty.
Održivo upravljanje otpadom u teoriji i praksi: zero waste model hrvatskog Donjeg Međimurja
Održivo upravljanje otpadom jedno je od ključnih tematskih područja koje su države Europske unije dužne implementirati u odnosu na europski okolišni acquis. Važan cilj acquisa je uspostava zero waste modela gospodarenjem otpadom koji podrazumijeva multidisciplinaran pristup s ciljem očuvanja svih resursa odgovornom proizvodnjom, potrošnjom, ponovnom uporabom i oporabom proizvoda, ambalaže i materijala bez spaljivanja i ispuštanja u zemlju, vodu ili zrak koji ugrožavaju okoliš ili živote ljudi. Ovaj rad ima za cilj pružiti strukturiran opis organizacije gospodarenjem komunalnim otpadom u zero waste modelu koji je istovremeno obuhvatan i detaljan. Slučaj na kojem gradimo opis dolazi iz hrvatske regije Donjeg Međimurja s glavnim fokusom na grad Prelog kao referentnom točkom proučavanja, pri čemu se nastoji odgovoriti na istraživačko pitanje: Kako je organizirano upravljanje otpadom na lokalnoj razini u zero waste modelu. Temeljem analize dokumenata i intervjua s ključnim dionicima sustava gospodarenja otpadom, rad detektira ključne elemente zero waste modela: ciljeve upravljanja otpadom, upravljačke strukture i akteri, institucionalni odnosi, instrumenti i tehnologije te korisnici te naposljetku ulogu koju korisnici vrše unutar sustava. Istodobno, rad svojim nalazima de facto nudi preporuke javnih politika (policy recommendations) koje će služiti kao svojevrsni vodič svima onima koji žele implementirati zero waste model upravljanja otpadom na svojemu području.
održivo upravljanje otpadom, Prelog i donje Međimurje, zero waste model, sastavnice organizacije gospodarenja otpadom
prikaz knjige Slaviša Orlović "Nadziranje demokratije"
Copyright (c) 2023 Political perspectives: journal for political research
Basic Analytical Assumptions of empowering the periphery
Against the background of the global crises and the urgency it created, the authors attempt to problematise the pathways to empowering the peripheries of the world – the victimised, excluded, humiliated and entangled. As assumptions relevant for the empowerment of the peripheries they discuss: the need to re-read one’s own history; “accurate reconnaissance” of the current local circumstances; understanding the “workings of the global neoliberal capitalism”; focusing on integrating, making use of new scientific insights, reinvigorating fundamental values and generating internal actors of change; establishing new transformative alliances of the peripheries. The assumptions are contextualized in relation to the process of transition taking place in post-apartheid South Africa and post-socialist Serbia.
On improbable carrots: Serbian citizens between Kosovo* and the elusive EU membership
Potential membership in the EU is sometimes presented as a reward for Serbia's eventual acknowledgement of Kosovo's independence. Although membership in the EU has been a strategic goal of Serbian foreign policy, the EU is often perceived as working against Serbian national interests regarding Kosovo's status. Relying on the cognitive dissonance theory, we hypothesize that in addition to a direct negative association between the support for Serbia's territorial integrity and the EU membership, there is also an interactive effect: the association should be moderated by one's opinion on when and whether Serbia will become a member of the EU. These hypotheses are examined using public opinion data based on a large national sample of adult Serbian citizens. The results support the interaction hypothesis: the attitude that Kosovo should remain part of Serbia is a stronger predictor of the (negative) evaluation of the EU among those respondents who do not believe that Serbia will become an EU member in the future.
POLITICAL STABILITY IN DEEPLY DIVIDED SOCIETIES: EVIDENCE FROM POST-DAYTON BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
This article explores the causes of political stability in deeply divided societies. Building upon literature on consociationalism and post-conflict management, in the case of post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina, we determine periods of political stability and explain their causes. According to the widespread arguments on BiH, consociational institutional design has replicated and cemented deep ethnic cleavages and bolstered centrifugal and nationalistic politics, while external actors tried simultaneously to make the state stabile and functional through their interventionist involvement. When the external actors mitigated ther interventionalist approach in early 2006, the political situation began to deteriorate. The aim of this article is to identify and assess periods of political stability through tracing of causal mechanisms in the interplay between external actors and local elites in the context of the unfavorable structural and institutional conditions. It argues that, alongside external actors, the political stability depends on the type of governing parties i.e. whether they are moderate or hardlines. KEYWORDS: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dayton Peace Agreement, Consociation, Political stability, International administration
Odnos identiteta i uloga u međunarodnim odnosima i spoljnoj politici: ontologija, epistemologija i metodologija
Abstract: The aim of this article is to enable a comprehensive insight into key theoretical debates on the relationship between identities and roles in International Relations (IR) and Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA), with a particular focus on theoretical approaches of social constructivism and foreign policy role theory. Given the lack of interest in this research approach the post-Yugoslav IR literature, I systematize ontological, epistemological and methodological dimensions of studying foreign policy and security roles of states. In this research path-breaking effort, a special emphasis is on the role of small states in world politics between structural imperatives and possibilities of agency. Role theory is reviewed in its relationship toward constructivist FPA, whereas the key notions of role theory, interpretive methodology and some examples of research on discursive construction of state identity and roles are presented. In the conclusion, I reflect on some further questions and a research agenda of identity and roles in IR. Keywords: International Relations Theory, Foreign Policy Analysis, Constructivism, Role Theory, Small States
Democratization in Christian Orthodox Europe: comparing Greece, Serbia and Russia, by Marko Veković, London & New York, Routledge, 2020
EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS ON THE RIGHTS OF SAME-SEX COUPLES TO MARRY. A VIEW FROM ASOCIAL JUSTICE PERSPECTIVE
ECtHR has established case law by which national authorities are obliged to legally recognize and regulate same-sex partnerships. However, they are not obliged to give the right to marry to same-sex partners taking into account dominant moral beliefs in society. This paper aims to test such an approach from the perspective of four theories of justice. The aim is to see if the consistent application of precepts and principles of these theories of justice to this case law makes such an approach of the ECtHR just from the viewpoint of any of these theories of justice. This way what may seem as intuitively just or unjust is tested against concrete and particular standards of justice.
Border Disputes in the Post-Yugoslav Space: Nation-Building between Identity Politics and International Law
This analysis of a sample of border disputes 30 years after the beginning of Yugoslavia’s disintegration is informed by a pluri-angle analytical framework. With territorial disputes, a single reading of the phenomenon by international law with its established principles and standards of peaceful dispute settlement can be insufficient. More often than not, border disputes not only relate to territorial sovereignty per se, but also to issues of nation-building and statehood, identity narratives, ontological security, and (perceived) legitimacy as to whether a border is ‘just’. In the context of EU enlargement, the level of power (a)symmetry between actors also plays a role. Looking at the case studies (i) Croatia v. Slovenia, (ii) Serbia v. Croatia, and (iii) Serbia v. Kosovo, this paper demonstrates why States sometimes do not comply with EU conditionality and that the behaviour of State actors is by no means irrational, but can well sustain a dispute and/or pose a threat to dispute settlement by international law.
Governing the Commons like a Pragmatist: The Case of John Dewey
As a result of the process of neoliberal policies, commons have been in a state of enclosure and exploitation. That kept the debate on governing the commons very much alive. This paper examines what John Dewey can contribute to the debate through his method of inquiry. As part of his method, we will examine mechanisms such as public deliberation and democratic experimentalism. In addition, his contribution to the re-conceptualization of the commons will be discussed.
The aim of the paper is to explore the possibilities to increase social and distributive justice in the Belgrade housing policy context. The research is conducted through the analysis of the effects that the existing housing tax policies and its relation to investments, purchase, owning and renting houses in the capital of Serbia. The research is threefold: firstly, the paper analyses the existing institutional framework for housing taxes; secondly, the authors conduct qualitative research by interviewing real estate agents and house buyers to determine their motives for purchasing their first or additional houses; thirdly, the paper provides a comprehensive model of housing prices determinants in the city of Belgrade. By cross comparing the research results, the paper aims at developing alternative models of taxation which would have significant impact on housing policies, linking them to social justice principles. The change of the tax policies should make houses affordable for those who are buying their first property and intending to live in them, and progressively expensive for those who buy houses for their businesses or as a form of investments or personal savings.