The Politics of National Minority Participation in Post-communist Societies: State-building, Democracy and Ethnic Mobilization

With the upsurge of nationalist sentiment in post-communist societies, the problem of political rights for ethnic minorities became a dangerous flashpoint. The introduction of electoral competition, the rewriting of constitutions, the breakup of federations, the weakness of civic institutions, and the social and economic dislocations associated with marketization have all contributed to the salience of majority-minority relations. This collection systematically analyzes different models of minority politics in Eastern Europe, in an effort to understand why tensions are manageable in some contexts, uncontainable in others. Anchoring the volume are essays by Carlos Flores Juberias on electoral systems, and Janusz Bugajski on national minority parties. Six case studies examine the interaction of different types of institutional arrangements (which structure political participation) and different demographic conditions (ethnic balances and territorial concentrations) in Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, and Romania. Framing these studies are overviews by the editors and by Jack Snyder.

Jonathan Stein

The premier source for a comprehensive update and overview of developments in the most rapidly changing region in the world. Each edition features thematic coverage of regional, political, and economic developments. Chapters on every country of the region cover essential historical background as well as current developments and domestic and foreign policy issues. Supplementing the chapters are maps, data boxes, documents, and sidebars.