Gëzim Krasniqi
The paper examines citizenship constellations in Kosovo and Albania as a means of exploring the way in which these citizenship regimes evolved in conjunction with uneven democratic development and migration trends in these two different political contexts, with a particular focus on the rights of minorities and diaspora. It does so by examining three key mechanisms that connect citizenship regime stability and change with political regime transformation and democratisation: identity politics, political rights and judicial constraints. The paper argues that while democratisation is a critical factor in explaining the expansiveness of citizenship in the recent decades, current citizenship regimes in these two countries have also been determined by nation- and state-building projects, Europeanisation, as well as outmigration trends. While both countries are dominated by overwhelming Albanian majorities, they followed different paths when it comes to institutionalisation of citizenship and allocation of rights, with exogenous factors (EU) being instrumental in Kosovo's case. However, in both cases, citizenship has been contested judicially with some of these court decisions limiting citizenship rights of some sections of the society/citizenry (minorities) while expanding the rights of other sections (diaspora).