Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T10:58:50.314Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Elections to Nonterritorial Autonomies of Central and South Eastern Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 October 2019

Balázs Dobos
Balázs Dobos*
Affiliation:
Institute for Minority Studies,Center for Social Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In managing ethno-cultural diversity, several countries in Central and Eastern Europe refer to the notion of nonterritorial/cultural autonomy in their legislation and policies, and in some of them, namely Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovenia, registered minority voters are granted the right to create their own representational, consultative, or decision-making bodies by direct or indirect elections. While a growing body of literature has examined the functioning of these elected minority councils/self-governments at various levels, numerous features of their elections have not been addressed. Elections, commonly understood as formal group decision-making processes, may fulfill various functions both in theory and practice, and these are highly context-dependent. In this regard, little is known about the role played by minority elections in intra-community relations, and whether and how these elections can contribute to increasing legitimacy and accountability and strengthening the political weight and influence of the respective minority groups. This article seeks to address these issues. Written from a theoretical perspective, but based on electoral statistics and country experiences, it comparatively explores the main issues related to the special minority elections in the five countries of analysis and assesses whether they can be considered successful forms of diversity management.

Keywords

nonterritorial autonomyminority electionsminority rightslegitimacypolitical representationpolitical mobilization
Type
Special Issue Article
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 48 , Special Issue 2: Special Issue on National Cultural Autonomy in Diverse Political Communities: Practices, Challenges, and Perspectives , March 2020 , pp. 289 - 306
Copyright
© Association for the Study of Nationalities 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agarin, Timofey, and Cordell, Karl. 2016. Minority Rights and Minority Protection in Europe. London: Rowman & Littlefield.Google Scholar
Bauböck, Rainer. 2001. Territorial or cultural autonomy for national minorities? IWE Working Papers Series, No. 22. https://eif.univie.ac.at/downloads/workingpapers/IWE-Papers/WP22.pdf.Google Scholar
Beetham, David. 1991. The Legitimation of Power. Houndmills, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Benoit, Kenneth. 2007. “Electoral Laws as Political Consequences: Explaining the Origins and Change of Electoral Institutions.” Annual Review of Political Science 10: 363–390.Google Scholar
Beretka, Katinka. 2014. “Fragile Autonomy Arrangements in the Republic of Serbia: The Territorial Autonomy of Vojvodina and the National Minority Councils.” In Autonomy Arrangements Around The World. A Collection of Well and Lesser Known Cases, edited by Levente, Salat, Sergiu, Constantin, Alexander, Osipov, and István Gergő, Székely, 247–273. Cluj-Napoca: Romanian Institute for Research On National Minorities.Google Scholar
Birch, Sarah. 2001. “Elections.” In Encyclopedia of Democratic Thought, edited by Paul Barry, Clarke and Foweraker, Joe, 302–306. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Birch, Sarah. 2003. Electoral Systems and Political Transformation in Post-Communist Europe. Houndmills, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Birnir, Jóhanna Kristín. 2007. Ethnicity and Electoral Politics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bowring, Bill. 2005. “Burial and Resurrection. Karl Renner’s Controversial Influence on the ‘National Question’ in Russia.” In National Cultural Autonomy and Its Contemporary Critics, edited by Nimni, Ephraim, 162–175. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Brunner, Georg, and Küpper, Herbert. 2002. “European Options of Autonomy: A Typology of Autonomy Models of Minority Self-Governance.” In Minority Governance in Europe, edited by Kinga, Gál, 13–36. Budapest: Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative, Open Society Institute.Google Scholar
Coakley, John, ed. 2017. Non-territorial Autonomy in Divided Societies. Comparative Perspectives. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Cordell, Karl, Agarin, Timofey, and Osipov, Alexander, eds. 2015. Institutional Legacies of Communism. Change and Continuities in Minority Protection. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Dalton, Russell J., Farrell, David M., and McAllister, Ian. 2011. “The Dynamics of Political Representation.” In How Democracy Works. Political Representation and Policy Congruence in Modern Societies, edited by Martin, Rosema, Denters, Bas, and Aarts, Kees, 21–38. Amsterdam: Pallas.Google Scholar
Dicosola, Maria. 2017. “The Rights of National Minorities in Croatia.” In Beyond International Conditionality: Local Variations of Minority Representation in Central and South-Eastern Europe, edited by Balázs, Vizi, Tóth, Norbert, and Dobos, Edgár, 79–100. Baden-Baden: Nomos.Google Scholar
Duverger, Maurice. 1951. Les Partis Politiques. Paris: Armand Colin.Google Scholar
Frankenberger, Rolf, and Graf, Patricia. 2011. “Elections, Democratic Regression and Transitions to Autocracy: Lessons from Russia and Venezuela.” In Regression of Democracy? edited by Gero, Erdmann and Kneuer, Marianne, 201–220. Wiesbaden: Springer, VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.Google Scholar
Gallagher, Michael, and Mitchell, Paul, eds. 2005. The Politics of Electoral Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Grofman, Bernard, and Lijphart, Arend. 2003. “Introduction.” In Electoral Laws and Their Political Consequences, edited by Bernard, Grofman, and Lijphart, Arend, 1–15. New York: Algora.Google Scholar
Harrop, Martin, and Miller, William L.. 1987. Elections and Voters. A Comparative Introduction. Houndmills, UK: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Hermet, Guy. 1978. “State-Controlled Elections: a Framework.” In Elections Without Choice, edited by Guy, Hermet, Rose, Richard, and Rouquie, Alain, 1–18. London: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Herron, Erik S. 2009. Elections and Democracy after Communism? New York: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Horowitz, Donald L. 2003. “Electoral Systems: a Primer for Decision Makers.” Journal of Democracy 14 (4): 115–127.Google Scholar
Katz, Richard S. 1997. Democracy and Elections. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Komac, Miran, and Roter, Petra. 2015. “The Autonomy Arrangement in Slovenia.” In Managing Diversity Through Non-Territorial Autonomy. Assessing Advantages, Deficiencies, and Risks, edited by Tove, Malloy, Osipov, Alexander, and Vizi, Balázs, 93–115. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Korhecz, Tamás. 2015. “National Minority Councils in Serbia.” In Managing Diversity Through Non-Territorial Autonomy. Assessing Advantages, Deficiencies, and Risks, edited by Tove, Malloy, Osipov, Alexander, and Vizi, Balázs, 69–91. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Kuzmany, Böries, 2016. “Habsburg Austria: Experiments in Non-territorial Autonomy.” Ethnopolitics 15 (1): 43–65.Google Scholar
Liber, George. 1987. “Ukrainian Nationalism and the 1918 Law on National-Cultural Autonomy.” Nationalities Papers 15 (1): 22–42.Google Scholar
Malloy, Tove. 2015. Introduction. In Managing Diversity Through Non-Territorial Autonomy. Assessing Advantages, Deficiencies, and Risks, edited by Tove, Malloy, Osipov, Alexander, and Vizi, Balázs, 1–15. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Malloy, Tove, Osipov, Alexander, and Vizi, Balázs, eds. 2015. Managing Diversity Through Non-Territorial Autonomy. Assessing Advantages, Deficiencies, and Risks. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Malloy, Tove, and Palermo, Francesco, eds. 2015. Minority Accommodation through Territorial and Non-territorial Autonomy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Miller, Joanna M., and Krosnick, Jon A.. 1998. “The Impact of Candidate Name Order on Election Outcomes.” Public Opinion Quarterly 62 (3): 291–330.Google Scholar
Nimni, Ephraim, ed. 2005. National Cultural Autonomy and its Contemporary Critics. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Nimni, Ephraim, Osipov, Alexander, and Smith, David J., eds. 2013. The Challenge of Non-Territorial Autonomy: Theory and Practice. Oxford, UK: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Norris, Pippa. 2004. Electoral Engineering. Voting Rules and Political Behavior. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Osipov, Alexander. 2010. “National Cultural Autonomy in Russia: A Case of Symbolic Law.” Review of Central and East European Law 35 (1): 27–57.Google Scholar
Osipov, Alexander. 2011. The “Peoples’ Congresses” in Russia: Failure or Success? Authenticity and Efficiency of Minority Representation. ECMI Working Paper, No. 48.Google Scholar
Osipov, Alexander. 2013. “Non-Territorial Autonomy during and after Communism: In the Wrong or Right Place?” Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe 12 (1): 7–26.Google Scholar
Petričušić, Antonija. 2004. “Slovenian Legislative System for Minority Protection.” Noves SL. Revista de Sociolingüística, Autumn: 1–9. Catalonia, Spain.Google Scholar
Petričušić, Antonija. 2007. “Minority Specific Bodies at the Local Level: The Case of National Minority Councils and Their Coordinations in Croatia.” http://academos.ro/sites/default/files/biblio-docs/102/418273.petricusic_minority_specific_bodies_croatia.pdf.Google Scholar
Petričušić, Antonija. 2015. “Non-territorial Autonomy in Croatia.” In Managing Diversity Through Non-Territorial Autonomy. Assessing Advantages, Deficiencies, and Risks, edited by Tove, Malloy, Osipov, Alexander, and Vizi, Balázs, 53–68. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Pinkus, Benjamin. 1988. The Jews of the Soviet Union. The History of a National Minority. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Polzer, Miroslav, Kalcina, L., Žagar, M. eds. 2002. Slovenia and European Standards for the Protection of National Minorities. Ljubljana: Informacijsko dokumentacijski center Sveta Evrope pri NUK, Institut za narodnostna vprasanja, Avstrijski institut za vzhodno in jugovzhodno Evropo.Google Scholar
Purger, Tibor. 2012. “Ethnic Self-Governance in Serbia. The First Two Years of the National Minority Councils.” International Relations Quarterly 3 (2): 1–18.Google Scholar
Rahat, Gideon. 2013. “What Is Democratic Candidate Selection?” In The Challenges of Intra-Party Democracy, edited by Cross, William P. and Katz, Richard S., 136–149. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Rátkai, Árpád. 2000. “A kisebbségi önkormányzatok legitimációhiánya.” Regio 11 (3): 112–132.Google Scholar
Rátkai, Árpád. 2003. “Kisebbségi önkormányzati választások 2002-ben.” Regio 14 (4): 77–90.Google Scholar
Renner, Karl. 2005. “State and nation.” In National Cultural Autonomy and Its Contemporary Critics, edited by Ephraim, Nimni, 13–40. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Salat, Levente, Constantin, Sergiu, Osipov, Alexander, and Székely, István Gergő, eds. 2014. Autonomy Arrangements Around The World. A Collection of Well and Lesser Known Cases. Cluj-Napoca: Romanian Institute for Research On National Minorities.Google Scholar
Salat, Levente. 2015. “Conclusion.” In Managing Diversity Through Non-Territorial Autonomy. Assessing Advantages, Deficiencies, and Risks, edited by Tove, Malloy, Osipov, Alexander, and Vizi, Balázs, 249–273. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Smith, David. 2010. “Non-territorial Cultural Autonomy in Contemporary Europe: Reflections on the Revival of an Idea.” In After the Nation? Critical Reflections on Nationalism and Postnationalism, edited by Keith, Breen and O’Neill, Shane, 84–102. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillian.Google Scholar
Smith, David, and Cordell, Karl, eds. 2008. Cultural Autonomy in Contemporary Europe. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Smith, David, and Hiden, John. 2012. Ethnic Diversity and the Nation State. National Cultural Autonomy Revisited. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Smith, David. 2013a. “Non-Territorial Autonomy and Political Community in Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe.” Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe 12 (1): 27–55.Google Scholar
Smith, David. 2013b. “Challenges of Non-Territorial Autonomy in Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe.” In The Challenge of Non-Territorial Autonomy: Theory and Practice, edited by Ephraim Nimni, Alexander Osipov, and David J. Smith, 117–132. Oxford: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Smith, David. 2014. “National-Cultural Autonomy in Contemporary Estonia.” In Autonomy Arrangements Around The World. A Collection of Well and Lesser Known Cases, edited by Levente, Salat, Constantin, Sergiu, Osipov, Alexander, and Székely, István Gergő, 299–319. Cluj-Napoca: Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities.Google Scholar
Stourzh, Gerard. 2007. “Ethnic Attribution in Late Imperial Austria: Good Intentions, Evil Consequences.” In From Vienna to Chicago and Back. Essays on Intellectual History and Political Thought in Europe and America, edited by Gerard, Stourzh, 157–176. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Thomassen, Jacques. 2014. “Representation and Accountability.” In Elections and Democracy: Representation and Accountability, edited by Thomassen, Jacques, 1–19. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Vizi, Balázs. 2009. “Hungary. A Model with Lasting Problems.” In Minority Rights in Central and Eastern Europe, edited by Rechel, Bernd, 119–134. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Wojtasik, Waldemar. 2013. “Functions of Elections in Democratic Systems.” Political Preferences (4): 25–38.Google Scholar
Zuber, Christina Isabel, and Mus, Jan Jakub. 2013. “Representative Claims and Expected Gains. Minority Council Elections and Intra-ethnic Competition in Serbia.” East European Politics 29 (1): 52–68.Google Scholar