Management Planning for Cultural World Heritage Sites: Domestic Implementation and Enforcement of International Standard-Setting Instruments

This thesis analyzes the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in Albania, a country with a rich cultural heritage and a growing commitment to heritage conservation. While Albania has successfully inscribed several sites on the World Heritage List since ratifying the Convention in 1989, the effectiveness of its implementation at these sites—particularly in light of the country's institutional constraints, socio-political challenges, and limited financial resources—remains underexplored. Using implementation theory as a framework, this research examines the processes and factors influencing the Convention's implementation, with a specific focus on the case study of a World Heritage site: Gjirokastër and Berat