Albania Case
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Albania is a very impoverished, poor country. During the cold war, it sided with communist regimes, and it was communist itself. During this period, Albania was a very isolated nation, and there were very few freedoms; something as basic a right as religion was banned. In 1990, Albania turned into a democracy, and with that came a free-market economy, though Albania is still having troubles making the change today. Thirty percent of Albanians live in poverty, and of those thirty percent, half subsist on less than one dollar a day. Despite having a declining unemployment rate, it is still high at thirteen percent, which is believed to be an underestimate by the Albanian government.
While there is an extremely scarce amount of pull factors in Albania, which include a nice climate and an interesting culture, there are a large amount of push factors. One of these push factors would be the crime in Albania. Albania has an extremely high crime rate, in which human trafficking and drug trafficking are the two biggest parts. While Albania makes efforts to cut down human trafficking, they are not enough, and victims of human trafficking tend to be arrested for crimes they were forced to commit more than the human traffickers. Another push factor would be the awful job market, and the increasing amount of Albanians who are going to school in different countries, like Italy or Germany. Instead of returning to Albania, they opt to stay in the country they are studying in, due to the superior job market. Another push factor would be the awful healthcare in Albania, which has been in a steep decline since the fall of socialism, though Albania has been modernizing their equipment since the year 2000. Also, studies have shown that Albanians view emigrating to a different economy as a good idea for family or individual survival.
When Albania was under communist rule, the government tried to stamp out the traditions of Albania and make everyone “equal” (though there were three castes in Albania under communist rule). However, since democracy has risen in Albania, these traditions have returned, which includes a heavy patriarchal society.
Marriage in Albania usually isnt decided by love, in fact, it is usually arranged by the parents, and it is seen as a great misfortune to not be married. It is not uncommon to purchase a wife, as well. It is illegal to have a homosexual marriage. Marriage is a huge festival once it takes place, and