Etniliste vähemuste esindatus ametnikkonnas: Eesti juhtum

Lühikokkuvõte

This paper analyses representation of ethnic minorities in the bureaucracy of Estonia, based on previous research in the field. First section provides an overview of the state of affairs regarding ethnic representation in Estonian bureaucracy; second section locates the Estonian case into the context of the theory of representative bureaucracy as well as a number of other countries comparable to Estonia; third section discusses a perspective of a possible research program, which is focused on participation and representation of ethnic minorities in Estonian bureaucracy. As a point of departure of such a program, we locate the issue of participation and representation of ethnic minorities into the broader context of post-communist transformation: we presume that the main challenges Estonia is facing in its third decade after regaining independence have to do with the quality of democracy and the relationship between the society and the state as well as the issues of social justice. Participation and representation of ethnic minorities in Estonian public life, including bureaucracy, can be regarded as one of the most burning issues in this line. This is the reason why we propose launching a focused research program and outline main directions of the program.