Systems of Partial Control: Ethnic Dynamics in Post-Soviet Estonia and Latvia

Commercio, Michele E.

doi:10.1007/s12116-007-9013-5

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Ethnicity was central to this right-wing government’s agenda and inherently linked to questions of national identity and survival of the Estonian culture and language (Lauristin & Vihalemm, 2009; Vetik, 2019). The Pro-Patria-led government perpetuated a discourse of the existential threat the Russian speakers posed to the survival of the Estonian nation and sovereignty, framing them as occupants or tools of the Soviet occupation (Commercio, 2008). The minority, which constituted over one-third of the population, was said to be too large to be assimilated (Laitin, 1998).…”

Section: Explaining Israel’s Policy Of Minority Accommodationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fragmentation of Political Authority and Bureaucratic Entrepreneurship: Explaining Instances of Minority Accommodation in Israel and Estonia

Talal

2022

Comparative Political Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Why do some ethnic nation-states committed to preferential treatment of the dominant nation choose to accommodate their ethnic minorities in some realms? I argue that power struggles between elected and non-elected officials account for the variation in the treatment of ethnic minorities. Fragmentation of authority creates opportunities for entrepreneurial bureaucrats to initiate policy changes and lead to unanticipated outcomes. Drawing on nationalism studies in comparative politics and principal-agent scholarship in public administration, this article outlines a theoretical framework focused on domestic factors accounting for variation in state policies toward minorities in a novel way. I apply this framework to education policy in Israel and Estonia vis-à-vis the Palestinian Arab and Russian-speaking minorities. This article illuminates an empirical puzzle of minority accommodation under nationalist governments and explains the conditions under which it occurs, offering generalizable theoretical expectations for similar contexts.

show abstract

Section: Explaining Israel’s Policy Of Minority Accommodationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fragmentation of Political Authority and Bureaucratic Entrepreneurship: Explaining Instances of Minority Accommodation in Israel and Estonia

Talal

2022

Comparative Political Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In both Estonia and Latvia, the Russophone minority has been consistently excluded from state power, as the Estonian and Latvian national elites tend to claim ownership of the state (Linz and Stepan 1996;Pettai 1998;Jarve 2000;Pettai and Hallik 2002;Smooha and Jarve 2005;Commercio 2008;Agarin 2010;Mole 2012). However, members of the minority have acquired significant power positions in the administrations of the two capital cities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Representing minorities in the city. Education policies and minority incorporation in the capital cities of Estonia and Latvia^†

Cianetti

2014

Natl. pap.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article explores the relationship between minority city-level and state-level political representations through the analysis of the contested implementation of state education policies in Tallinn and Riga. Referring to the US debate on this issue, the article asks what role minority incorporation into city-level power structures can play for its substantive representation. The comparison between Tallinn and Riga reveals two potential answers to this question. The case of Riga illustrates how city-level representation can be an alternative representative channel through which the minority can put pressure on state government and magnify its political voice within the country's democratic space. On the contrary, the case of Tallinn illustrates how a municipality can be an alternative locus of representation, which does not guarantee minority empowerment but rather entraps the minority at the local level within the implicit understanding that the minority (or at least the parties that get the minority vote) can "have its share" locally, but it cannot hope to influence state policies. The comparison between the two cases reveals different levels of legitimacy of the minority's voice in the democratic debate of Estonia and Latvia, and shows the risks and opportunities linked to the two models of minority city-level incorporation.

show abstract

“…See e.g. Smith (2003), Commercio (2008), Lagerspetz (2001) for discussions on citizenship policies in these states. 12 The Soviet-time immigrants who have not naturalised (yet) are considered as "non-citizens" in Latvia or "people with undetermined citizenship" in Estonia.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Language policies and practices across the Baltic: processes, challenges and prospects

Vihalemm

Hogan-Brun

2013

European Journal of Applied Linguistics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We examine actions taken in the three Baltic states to (re-)establish their national languages in de facto multilingual surroundings. The implementation processes and initial impact of language ideology and language regulation on the language practices and socio-political participation of Soviet-period immigrants and their descendants living in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are described. In presenting a comparative cross-Baltic overview of language practices we discuss the national differences in connection with citizenship and political participation, population distribution and labour market surroundings. Our empirical data are draw from sociological surveys, population statistics and labour market segregation analyses. We focus on the interaction between regulations, language practices and social structural surroundings asking: How has the national language establishment shaped labour market practices, citizenship and education expectations? And vice versa: What could be the effect of the social surroundings on the formation of the language practices? We conclude that despite their different structural provisions, Estonia and Lithuania face somewhat similar future challenges in terms of creating a culturally more integrated education system. The minority agents when confronted with existing policy requirements have fewer possibilities to produce their own (alternative) solutions since ethnicity or language-driven social marginalization is perceived more as a problem here. In Latvia, the minority representatives seem to have sufficient resources in the private sphere to "slow down" existing state level language requirements, which enables them to create suitable surroundings for the ongoing maintenance of the Latvian-Russian multilingual environment.Keywords: Baltic, language policies and practices, citizenship, minorities, participation.Resümee: Artiklis analüüsitakse Balti riikide keelepoliitikaid esimese kahekümne iseseisvusaasta jooksul. Pärast nõuogude okupatsiooni uuesti ülesehitatavate rahvusriikide missiooniks on eesti/läti/leedu keele ja kultuuri säilimine ja arendamine. Kõrvuti selle eesmärgiga on riikide ees teine raske ülesanne -lõimida ühiskonda nõukogude perioodil sisserännanud ja nende järeltulijad -arvukas vene emakeelega elanikkond. Artiklis antakse võrdlev ülevaade peamisest tegevustest riigikeele kehtestamisel ning analüüsitakse poliitilise, demograafilise ning majandusliku keskkonna soodustavat ning takistavat mõju venekeelse elanikkonna keelepraktikate muutumisele, poliitilisele osalusele ja tööturupraktikatele. Resumen: Analizamos las acciones llevadas a cabo en tres repúblicas bálticas para (re)establecer su lengua nacional en entornos multilingües de facto. Se describe el establecimiento e impacto inicial de la ideología lingüística y la regulación lingüística de las prácticas lingüísticas y la participación socio-política de los inmigrantes del periodo soviético y sus descendientes con residencia en Estonia, Latvia y Lituania. Al presentar una visión global comparada de las ...

show abstract

Systems of Partial Control: Ethnic Dynamics in Post-Soviet Estonia and Latvia

Cited by 11 publications

References 36 publications

Fragmentation of Political Authority and Bureaucratic Entrepreneurship: Explaining Instances of Minority Accommodation in Israel and Estonia

Fragmentation of Political Authority and Bureaucratic Entrepreneurship: Explaining Instances of Minority Accommodation in Israel and Estonia

Representing minorities in the city. Education policies and minority incorporation in the capital cities of Estonia and Latvia^†

Language policies and practices across the Baltic: processes, challenges and prospects

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Systems of Partial Control: Ethnic Dynamics in Post-Soviet Estonia and Latvia

Cited by 11 publications

References 36 publications

Fragmentation of Political Authority and Bureaucratic Entrepreneurship: Explaining Instances of Minority Accommodation in Israel and Estonia

Fragmentation of Political Authority and Bureaucratic Entrepreneurship: Explaining Instances of Minority Accommodation in Israel and Estonia

Representing minorities in the city. Education policies and minority incorporation in the capital cities of Estonia and Latvia†

Language policies and practices across the Baltic: processes, challenges and prospects

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Representing minorities in the city. Education policies and minority incorporation in the capital cities of Estonia and Latvia^†