Ethnicity and Social Exclusion in Estonia and Latvia

The article discusses whether social exclusion in Estonia and Latvia is more common among the Slavic ethnic minorities than among the titular ethnic groups. The most important finding is that ethnic affiliation seems to be of some importance in explaining certain forms of social exclusion, but the findings are not unequivocal and other factors are too important to allow strong conclusions to be drawn. Ethnicity is not a decisive factor in explaining income inequalities in present-day Estonia and Latvia, and the Slavic minorities do not seem to suffer from a significantly higher risk of multidimensional exclusion. At the same time we may conclude that ethnic Estonians and Latvians tend to view their situation in more positive terms than other inhabitants when it comes to subjective feelings of economic and social security. There is strong reason to believe that ethnicity plays a role in integration into the two societies.

Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 53, No. 7, 2001, pp-1023-1049