Josip Glaurdić: Measuring Compromise in Divided Societies

What does it mean to measure willingness to compromise in a deeply divided society? Drawing on original survey and conjoint experimental data from Bosnia and Herzegovina, this talk examines how citizens understand constitutional alternatives, evaluate institutional trade-offs, and navigate competing political preferences. Particular attention is paid to what different methodological approaches allow us to observe about the possibilities and limits of interethnic accommodation. Beyond the BiH case, the talk raises broader questions about how we conceptualize and measure compromise, identify mutually acceptable reforms, and understand the relationship between individual preferences and collective bargaining in post-conflict societies.

Josip Glaurdić is Professor of Political Science at the University of Luxembourg. His research focuses on the political legacies of conflict, electoral behavior, and democratic governance in Southeast Europe. He previously led the ERC-funded project ELWar (Electoral Legacies of War) and currently leads CONSENT BiH (Constitutional Engagement for the Transformation of Bosnia and Herzegovina), a research project examining citizens’ preferences for constitutional reform and political accommodation in contemporary Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is also co-author of the recently published "Contagions: Nationalism, Populism, and the Pandemic at Europe’s Edge".