Description
In the last twelve years, both North Macedonia (2009-2018) and Serbia (2018-present) have introduced some of the most generous child benefits in European history. These policies have been justified as a response to declining birth rates, even though low fertility has not prompted comparably generous benefits in most other European countries. Thus, this paper explores the discursive mechanisms through which policymakers in North Macedonia and Serbia have securitised low fertility to persuade the public in the necessity of introducing a historically unprecedented, financially costly, and ideologically contentious policy response.
Drawing on securitisation theory, the paper will assess the relative salience of three “existential threats” in the fertility discourse. The first “existential threat” is population aging, which encompasses socioeconomic concerns around the sustainability of workforce sizes, pension funds, and healthcare systems in the light of growing ratios of old people to young people. The second “existential threat” is aggregate population decline, which typically includes anxieties about cultural erosion and dwindling military strength. Finally, the third “existential threat” is comprised of an ethnic-based apprehension around the birth rate of some ethnic groups relative to others.
To explore these questions, the paper will analyse the fertility discourse among national policymakers in parliamentary transcripts and political speeches around several key moments in the introduction and contestation of pronatalist policy in the two countries.
Keywords: low fertility, securitisation, discourse, North Macedonia, Serbia
