Socio-Economic Impacts of Business Closures in Kosovo: A Criminological and Legal Perspective (2021–2025)

Background: This study will analyse and present the situation of business closures in Kosovo and their possible implications for increased unemployment and illegal behaviour in the country. Business closures, with their negative consequences for their management entities, will, however, be argued to have other multidimensional consequences. The study will be based on data collected and processed for the years 2021–2025. The study will present the issue through independent and dependent variables, encouraging critical, debatable, and influential thinking in the development context to overcome society's eventual challenges. Method: To address the study’s research objectives and analyse, compare, interpret, and evaluate data, while considering the study’s specific content, several scientific methods were used to achieve concrete results. The descriptive statistical method will be applied to collect and describe statistical data from selected official institutions. The correlation method is applicable for analytically examining possible implications in the cause-and-effect relationships of the processes treated in mutual interrelation during the realisation of the study. Meanwhile, the process of comparing statistical data will be carried out through the application of the comparative method. The normative-legal method will be applied to concrete legal definitions related to the basic notions of the topic addressed. The analysis method is applicable throughout this study, especially because processes, phenomena, and data are continuously and carefully analysed. Results and Conclusions: The study’s results make it clear that, in Kosovar society, there is currently a high number of business closures, a high rate of unemployment, and a high prevalence of criminal offences at the national level. During the study period, from 2021 to 2025, when the data were collected, processed, and presented, the results show that business closures are most prevalent year after year. The study data suggest that the high number of business closures may be linked to increases in unemployment and potentially to rising criminogenic factors.