Regional disparities of Immigration-related conflict risks: the case of Estonia

Abstract

Regional disparities are one of the sources of social inequality. The empirical study is based on theoretical concept of components of immigration-related ethnic conflicts. The chapter analyses immigration-related conflict risks sources. These conflicts manifest as tensions arising from the interaction between newcomers, often hailing from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and the established population. This study provides insights into immigration-related ethnic conflict risk levels across 75 Estonian municipalities, offering an understanding of regional risk factors and regional distribution of risks. Using the risk components, we quantify immigration-related conflict risk and use hierarchical cluster analysis to categorize municipalities into distinct types by interaction of conflict components. The empirical analyses reveal segregation of immigration-related ethnic conflict risk; however, this risk varies significantly among different municipality groups and is to a certain extent related with immigration. Three different groups of municipalities can be distinguished in Estonia. A total of 30% of all municipalities have elevated risk levels. In these municipalities, the readiness for conflict is higher than linear interaction with migration rates would predict. We conclude that immigration-related ethnic conflicts are dynamic phenomena shaped by the interplay of immigration processes and pre-existing ethnic divisions within societies.