The attitudes toward privatization processes among citizens of Serbia in the period of post-socialist transformation

Abstract

Privatization is one of the most important processes during the postsocialist transformation, simultaneously encompassing changes in the economic, political and value-normative spheres of societies. The Serbian society, in particular, has had a specific and slow path towards the formation of a new social system. In the first phase of “blocked” post socialist transformation, Serbia was burdened with pauperization, wars, isolation, a semi-state regulated economy which slowed down privatization and economic liberalization. The period after 2000 is marked as “unblocked” post socialist transformation, when a stabilization of economic conditions and changes in society structure took place. In this phase, privatization processes were accelerated albeit accompanied by serious problems (frauds, assets stripping, etc.) and dilemmas over the necessity to keep strategic sectors of economy under the state control. As a consequence of “prolonged” transformation, Serbian society is characterized by a hybrid capitalist system, which combines elements