Explanipedia

The Incumbency Advantage and the Enabler Effect: How Londongrad Beat the UK Anti-Money Laundering Regime Open

John Heathershaw, Tom Mayne, Tena Prelec, Shayakhmet Tokubayev · 2025

Professional indulgences: the kleptocracy problem and the transformation of global politics Open

John Heathershaw, Tena Prelec, Thomas Mayne · 2025

This article discusses the phenomenon of transnational kleptocracy and explains how kleptocrats and oligarchs have been welcomed in rule-of-law settings. The paper summarises a large body of research, including our recent book, Indulging K…

Green Power Politics: External Actors and Energy Transition in the Western Balkans Open

Tena Prelec, Nikolaos Tzifakis, Dimitar Bechev · 2023

The final brief of BiEPAG’s Geopolitics of the Green Energy Transition project explores the EU’s role in promoting the energy transition in the Western Balkans. Despite the EU’s commitment to climate action and extensive financial assistan…

Foreign Donations in the Higher Education Sector of the United States and the United Kingdom: Pathways for Reputation Laundering Open

Alexander Cooley, Tena Prelec, John Heathershaw · 2022

We explore how the influx of foreign funding into the higher education sectors of the United States and United Kingdom has raised the challenge of “reputation laundering”—when foreign donors and individuals use donations to prestigious uni…

Is academic freedom at risk from internationalisation? Results from a 2020 survey of UK social scientists Open

Tena Prelec, Saipira Furstenberg, John Heathershaw, Catarina P. Thomson · 2022

This is the final version. Available on open access from Routledge via the DOI in this record

The persistence of elites and extractive practices in the energy sector in successor Yugoslav states (1980s-2010s) Open

Tena Prelec · 2020

This doctoral thesis concerns the development of corruption and informality through the political and economic transition in successor Yugoslav states, in the period from the late 1980s to the end of the 2010s. It analyses the practices th…

The Serbian Diaspora’s Political Views: A Study on the 2017 Serbian Presidential Election Open

Tena Prelec · 2020

Members of the Serbian diaspora, especially those vocal in representing their home country's views, have previously been regarded as leaning towards nationalistic stances. The results of recent elections, however, indicate that today a rat…

The Western Balkans in Times of the Global Pandemic Open

Florian Bieber, Tena Prelec, Marika Djolai, Donika Emini, Jovana Marović , et al. · 2020

First lines: The global COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken by governments around the world constitute a major rupture to the “business as usual”, and this includes the Western Balkans, too. The pandemic has been overshadowing other d…

The vicious circle of corrosive capital, authoritarian tendencies and state capture in the Western Balkans Open

Tena Prelec · 2020

The presence of 'non-Western actors' in the Western Balkans has recently attracted the attention of policy-makers and academics alike, with the rise in prominence of non-EU countries coinciding with the weakening power of accession conditi…

The Internationalization of Universities and the Repression of Academic Freedom Open

Saipira Furstenberg, Tena Prelec, John Heathershaw · 2020

Academic freedom 1 is at the heart of university life. It forms the fundamental basis for disseminating knowledge and fostering independent thinking of students and staff members; it also allows for self-governance and academic job securit…

The vicious circle of corrosive capital, authoritarian tendencies and state capture in the Western Balkans Open

Tena Prelec · 2020

The presence of 'non-Western actors' in the Western Balkans has recently attracted the attention of policy-makers and academics alike, with the rise in prominence of non-EU countries coinciding with the weakening power of accession conditi…

What to expect from the Croatian presidential election Open

Tena Prelec · 2019

Croatia will hold a presidential election on 22 December, with a second round of voting set for 5 January if no candidate wins a majority. Tena Prelec previews the contest and assesses what the result might mean for the country's next parl…

The UAE's presence in the Balkans: commercial interest, geopolitical calculations, or a meeting point between 'sultanism' and authoritarianism? Open

Tena Prelec · 2018

In recent years, the United Arab Emirates has been increasingly active as an investment partner in the Western Balkans. Tena Prelec traces the involvement of the UAE in the region, and examines how western actors have responded to its pres…

Five minutes with Shami Chakrabarti: "not guaranteeing the rights of EU nationals isn't politics - it's cruelty" Open

Artemis Photiadou, Tena Prelec, Shami Chakrabarti · 2017

In October 2016, the leader of the UK's Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, appointed Shami Chakrabarti as Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales. In a discussion with British Politics and Policy editor Artemis Photiadou and EUROPP's Tena …

Shami Chakrabarti: not guaranteeing the rights of EU nationals is not politics - it's cruelty Open

Artemis Photiadou, Tena Prelec · 2017

A year since being appointed Shadow Attorney General, Shami Chakrabarti discusses the challenges and advantages of the position, as well as key issues facing British politics with Artemis Photiadou and Tena Prelec.

Has the Western Balkans 6 process become a 'surrogate for the real thing'? Open

Tena Prelec · 2017

On 12 July, EU leaders met with Prime Ministers of Balkan countries in the Italian city of Trieste. Tena Prelec gives a first-hand account, writing that the ‘Western Balkans 6’ (WB6) initiative – or ‘Berlin Process’ – has had the laudable …

The United Arab Emirates as an emerging actor in the Western Balkans: the case of strategic investment in Serbia Open

Will Bartlett, James Ker‐Lindsay, Kristian Alexander, Tena Prelec · 2017

In recent years, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has increased its engagement on the international stage. One area where it has been increasingly active is the Western Balkans. While its aid programmes were initially directed towards Albani…

Labour donor John Mills on the UK election: “The Tories have moved into Labour’s economic territory – the two need to work together on delivering a swift Brexit” Open

John M. Mills, Tena Prelec · 2017

Ahead of the 8 June UK General Election, EUROPP Editor Tena Prelec speaks to entrepreneur and Labour Party donor John Mills, who chaired the Labour Leave campaign. He gives his views on the need for a radical change in Britain’s economic p…

Croatia’s local elections: key takeaways and the duels to watch in the second round Open

Tena Prelec · 2017

Croatia held a first round of voting in local elections on 21 May, with the second round scheduled for 4 June. Tena Prelec assesses the results of the first round and previews some of the key mayoral races to watch as voters go back to the…

Experts react: Aleksandar Vučić wins Serbia’s presidential election Open

Dimitar Bechev, Eric Gordy, Sonja Avlijaš, Ábel Bojár, Tena Prelec , et al. · 2017

Serbia held a presidential election on 2 April, with Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić projected to have won the contest in the first round. We asked some of our contributors for their response to the election, what the result means for Vuči…

Serbian presidential elections: the diaspora vote Open

Tena Prelec · 2017

Serbs will be called to the polls on 2 April 2017 (1 April in certain locations abroad) for the first round of this year’s presidential election, with a run-off foreseen for two weeks later. EUROPP has run an online survey to get an insigh…

Sir Ivor Roberts: Milosevic was a pyromaniac and a firefighter – but he would never admit to being the former Open

Ivor Roberts, Tena Prelec · 2017

Sir Ivor Roberts, the British ambassador to Yugoslavia in the 1990s, speaks to EUROPP Editor Tena Prelec about his new book: “Conversations with Milosevic“.

Serbian presidential election 2017: can Vučić pull a Putin-Medvedev? Open

Tena Prelec · 2017

Serbia’s ruling party, the SNS, has announced that their candidate at this spring’s presidential election will be none other than the Prime Minister himself – Aleksandar Vučić. Will this bold move allow the SNS to keep their hold on power?…

Experts react: EU Enlargement and EU progress reports 2016 Open

Eli Gateva, Esra Özyürek, Jasmin Mujanović, Tena Prelec, Krenar Gashi , et al. · 2016

What does the future hold for EU Enlargement? Our contributors reflect on this year’s European Commission reports on the progress achieved by EU candidate and potential candidate countries, framing it within the wider political and economi…

Mogens Lykketoft: “A Trump victory would be a nightmare for everything we have worked towards in the UN” Open

Mogens Lykketoft, Stuart A. Brown, Tena Prelec · 2016

With America due to elect its next President, what will the outcome mean for Europe and the rest of the world? In an interview with EUROPP’s editors Stuart Brown and Tena Prelec, Mogens Lykketoft, the former President of the UN General Ass…

Saša Radulović: My plan is to become Mayor of Belgrade and use that platform to win Serbia’s next parliamentary election Open

Saša Radulović, Tena Prelec · 2016

Serbian opposition leader Saša Radulović, a former Minister of the Economy and leader of Dosta je Bilo (Enough is Enough), has ambitious plans. Speaking to EUROPP editor Tena Prelec, he elaborates on why he feels Serbia has lost its way un…

Interview with Srgjan Kerim, Candidate for UN Secretary General: “I don’t want to be everybody’s darling and I don’t want to serve anybody’s cause. I want to serve the cause of the organisation.” Open

Srgjan Kerim, Tena Prelec · 2016

The United Nations is in the process of selecting a new Secretary General to take over from Ban Ki-moon, whose term ends later this year. In the leadup to the appointment, we are featuring interviews with some of the candidates for the rol…

Interview with Natalia Gherman, candidate for UN Secretary General: “Human rights transcend security, development, and humanitarian responses” Open

Tena Prelec, Stuart A. Brown · 2016

The United Nations will select a new Secretary General this year to take over from Ban Ki-moon, whose term ends on 31 December. In the leadup to the appointment, we will be featuring interviews with some of the candidates for the role. In …

Interview with Igor Luksic, candidate for UN Secretary General: “Young people must be integrated into decision-making processes” Open

Igor Lukšič, Tena Prelec · 2016

The United Nations will select a new Secretary General this year to take over from Ban Ki-moon, whose term ends on 31 December. In the leadup to the appointment, we will be featuring interviews with some of the candidates for the role. In …

Scenarios of a new UK-EU relationship: a ‘Bremain’ Open

Stuart A. Brown, Tena Prelec · 2016

What consequences will Britain’s EU referendum have for both the UK and the rest of Europe? In a series of papers published as a collaboration between EUROPP and CIDOB (the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs), LSE authors analyse t…

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