The analysis of the state reform by the Ministry of Finance in 2023 provides a good opportunity to reflect on its progress, developments, challenges, and future possibilities.
Leif Kalev
Professor of Political Studies, Tallinn University
Siim Kallas | Presentation in the Riigikogu at the 1st Reading of the Draft State Budget Act 2000 |
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Kalle Jürgenson | State Budget 2000, What and Why? |
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Olev Raju | Commentaries on the State Budget 2000 |
Madis Võõras | Estonia on the Way to Full Membership of the European Space Agency |
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Ene Ergma | Estonia Has Become a Space State |
Urve Läänemets | A Good Teacher Should Be Ready to Learn Also from the Pupils |
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Külli Eichenbaum | Using the Local Peculiarities of Old Võromaa |
The analysis of the state reform by the Ministry of Finance in 2023 provides a good opportunity to reflect on its progress, developments, challenges, and future possibilities.
The article reviews the state reform initiatives and activities in Estonia over the recent years, interpreting these from the point of view of research literature on the topic. We can identify three major initiatives: by the Foundation for State Reform, the Government, and the Riigikogu.
Besides the number of population, the connections of people with Estonia are also important in population policy.
One of the innovative focuses of population policy is the inclusion of empowerment and quality of life. The article discusses these issues, proceeding from the point of view of essential citizenship, or the subjectness of people in the society and the state.
The article discusses the context, underlying frameworks and mechanisms in designing migration policy. The focus is on the possibilities for steering legal migration based on generalised international experience. Also, some potential challenges for Estonian immigration policy are discussed.
Establishing a citizenship regime is a very complex matter where one has to find the best possible balance between human rights, the functioning of the state as a whole, and a practical administrative solution. One also has to consider what kind of solutions are legitimate enough in the given social space of values and actions. The European states are of different opinions on the matter of allowing or prohibiting multiple citizenship.
This year’s population census and several initiatives have brought the people who have left Estonia after the restoration of independence to public attention.
The authors state that the palette of political styles incited by core values in Estonian politics is variegated and does not stand in the way of further development.
There is extremely little information in Estonia’s cultural sphere regarding both the content of the political culture and the characteristic traits of political culture in Estonia.
The structure of the Estonian local government is kept as simple as possible: municipality and city, with municipality district and city district on the lower level.
The answer to the question whether in the future, European citizenship will serve only to supplement the set of civic rights in each member states, or be a first step in establishing world citizenship, will be provided by a Europe-wide debate in which Estonia is also a participant.