New publication: Ethnic Democracy and Estonia

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Subject: New publication: Ethnic Democracy and Estonia

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

New publication: Ethnic Democracy and Estonia


European Centre for Minority Issues 

Priit Jarve 
Ethnic Democracy and Estonia: Application of Smooha's Model 
 

ECMI Working Paper # 7 
July 2000 

ABSTRACT 

This paper applies a model of ethnic democracy elaborated by Professor
Sammy Smooha of Haifa University, Israel, to Estonia, a case which is
usually regarded as marginal in this regard. This application shows
that Estonia can be characterised as a combination of a
strongly-defined ethnic democracy (citizens of the core ethnic nation
are dominating the other citizens) and a control system (citizens of
the core ethnic nation are dominating the stateless individuals of
non-core ethnic origin). As the number of stateless persons is
diminishing, the system of control slowly disappears and ethnic
democracy may prevail. The legal foundation of ethnic democracy in
Estonia is in the Preamble of its Constitution. 

CONTENTS 

I. Introduction 
II. Estonia and Ethnic Democracy 
III. Features of Ethnic Democracy 
IV. Conditions of Ethnic Democracy 
V. Legitimacy and Stability 

VI. Ethnic Democracy: Analytical Tool or Political Agenda? 

VII. Conclusions 

Appendix 
Table 1: Relevance of Features of Ethnic Democracy to Estonia 
Table 2: The Conditions of Ethnic Democracy and Estonia 
References 


Dr Priit Jarve is Senior Analyst at the European Centre for Minority
Issues (ECMI) in Flensburg, Germany

--------------
The European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) is a non-partisan
institution founded in 1996 by the Governments of the Kingdom of
Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the German State of
Schleswig-Holstein. ECMI was established in Flensburg, at the heart of
the Danish-German border region, in order to draw from the encouraging
example of peaceful coexistence between minorities and majorities
achieved here. ECMI's aim is to promote interdisciplinary research on
issues related to minorities and majorities in a European perspective
and to contribute to the improvement of inter-ethnic relations in
those parts of Western and Eastern Europe where ethno- political
tension and conflict prevail. 
ECMI Working Papers are written either by the staff of ECMI or by
outside authors commissioned by the Centre. As ECMI does not propagate
opinions of its own, the views expressed in any of its publications
are the sole responsibility of the author concerned. 

EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR MINORITY ISSUES (ECMI) 
Schiffbruecke 12 (Kompagnietor Building) 
D-24939 Flensburg. Germany 
+49-(01461-14 14 9-0 
fax +49-(0461-14 14 9-19 
e-mail: [email protected] 
internet: http://www.ecmi.de 

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