Decentralization and its impact on distribution of services case of Kosovo Altin N.

. Ademi and Bekim Baliqi University of Prishtina, Kosovo From practice and contemporary science we know the argument that decentralization is one of the fundamental processes by which democracy reaches closer to the citizen, bringing citizens valuable benefits. More flexible distribution of public services, more efficient administration, more sustainable economic development, and ensuring of good governance, are just some of the dimensions of decentralization that are part of this argument. Kosovo, while it was a country governed by the international community 3, is undergoing such a process of decentralization, which even today continues to be the core topic of political developments in the country. While contemporary theories that explain the decentralization suggest that when it comes to this process, it is interesting to ask questions related to the measurement of changes that occur through decentralization, and this should not make any exception even for the case of Kosovo. Of course that for most moderate opinions reflected in Kosovo, decentralization is seen as a process of emancipation and a reform comparing to reforms in other developed countries. However, the voices of civil society spectrum of political and academic world are known and very powerful that constantly criticize the purpose, manner and structure through which this process is designed and implemented. Being identified as a mechanism to create new municipalities with a majority of \"non majority communities\" and by defining new administrative, economic and political functions to municipalities without a proper assessment of local capacities, such political decentralization implemented in the case of Kosovo has been a subject of constant criticism, because it is designed \"on ethnic grounds\". This according to some analysts has largely eluded any positive reference of the process according to the theoretical description and has greatly undermined raising substantive issues about process quality and performance and its impact on improving people's lives. Consequently, whenever decentralization in the case of Kosovo is discussed, comments range in many dimensions, while only few questions are posed which relate to expected effects, namely whether this process has created a more flexible and efficient public services, whether it has driven administration reforms that respond to contemporary standards, whether it is ensuring a sustainable economic development and whether it is providing good governance? Study in progress aims at bringing up a picture based on measurements and research results on the effects of decentralization on citizens everyday life referring to the outputs of this process in the case of Kosovo, without focusing on its form or structure. While this process is already a part of the agenda of building an independent and democratic country of Kosovo, we consider the necessity to explore the real political and economic opportunities provided to citizens, while the inducement to discuss this topic derives exactly from the lack of scientific analysis on decentralization that has taken place in the Republic of Kosovo. The study has presented some of the basic concepts of the functioning of

local government in post-war Kosovo, interpreted vis--vis expectations and up-to-date performance of this process, focusing on the identification of difficulties and crucial issues arising from the implementation of decentralization and the dilemmas and opportunities that accompany this process. Business and Social Science Conference: Dubrovnik 2013