Looking into the Past to See the Future? Lessons Learned from Self-Management for Economies in Post-Conflict Societies of the Former Yugoslavia

Even though it was largely ignored in interventions after the 1990s conflict, the experience of post-World War II socialist Yugoslavia can offer useful directions for better understanding the ways in which economy can contribute to peacebuilding. The economic system, based on self-management achieved remarkable socio-economic development, as well as unprecedented of levels of inter-ethnic cohesion. This article argues that even with many limitations of the system, workers’ participation in decision making and opportunities for socialising through the workplace were crucial for the role that the economy played in fostering inter-ethnic cohesion in the country.