Ethnic Minority Policies as an Ethnic Cleavage Dimension Within Post-Communist Party Systems: Case Studies of Vojvodina Hungarians and Estonian Russians

Leonas Tolvaišis

Abstract

Focusing on the case studies of Vojvodina Hungarians and Estonian Russians, the article aims to explain the persistence of ethnic cleavage in post-communist party systems. Ethnic cleavage is expressed in terms of ethnic minority policies pursued by political parties. The article relates the degree of stability of the ethnic cleavage within the party system to the persistence of party policy attitudes and policy practices in ethnic minority policy. The long-term impact of the salience of ethnopolitical issues at the outset of multi-party system on policy attitudes and policy practices of political parties is summarized in a two-decade-long perspective. A proneness of political party attitudes and practices to path dependence is related to reversal prospects of state minority policies. The article names the limitations of party policy-making in the sphere of ethnic minority policies.

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