Objectives
In November 1996, Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative (LGI) initiated
an in-house research project (Managing Multicultural Communities) to identify and
distribute knowledge on innovative local policy-making practices in the fields of solving
and preventing ethnic conflicts and pursuing multicultural politics in CEE and
NIS. In
cooperation with research institutes, non-governmental organizations, and governmental
institutions, the Project aims at developing a database of already existing knowledge and
expertise and an information network.
Specifically, the project uncovers best practices, analyzes the role of local
governments in developing these practices. Practices are described by case studies that
compare and transfer lessons learned to other community leaders, local and regional
governments, NGOs, and educational institutions in the region.
Activities
In the fall of 1997, the „Managing Multicultural Communities" project announced
its innovative practice system, the so called "Case Study Writing Project".
Information on innovative practices is collected in the frame of competition. Contributors
submit their application (proposal) to one of the quarterly deadlines between October 1997
and December 1998. On the basis of the recommendation of two members of the Expert
Committee (advisory board of the Project), the Project awards authors of the best
proposals with a grant to complete a full case study on innovative to write full
case study.
Proposals and case studies received by the LGI that meet the formal requirements are
included to a database (Case Study Database). The Database provides contact address
of contributors next to the proposals and the case studies so that interested users can
get in touch directly with contributors for further information.
The Project has made particular effort to make its resources accessible for local
experts. The Project acknowledged that in a significant part of the region the knowledge
of English cannot be a requirement unless excluding valuable resource persons and
organization from among contributors and preventing others from using resources generated
by the Project. Therefore the Project has introduced two official languages: English
and Russian.
Most of the resources gathered by the project are available in both language. In that
way the Project hopes to involve in the knowledge and experience exchange experts and
researchers with important experiences, not yet involved in other western based network
because of lack of English language skills.
The database is the main resource of the Project. As of January 1999, over 110
proposals were received by the Project from 19 different countries of the CEE and NIS.
About 50 percent of the applications are written originally in Russian by the author and
are translated by the Project into English. Proposals, originally written in English are
translated into Russian.
Contributors are mostly researchers and local activists either involved in or closely
observing the outcomes of documented cases of innovative practices. Proposals and case
studies describe solutions for various problems prevailing in multiethnic communities of
the region. More than 40 authors have already been commissioned to write full case studies
on the innovative practice presented in their proposals.
At present, besides the Case Study Database, the Project has developed different types
of resources: a database of research papers that provides a forum for sharing
result of recent researches for researchers of the region and provides a more scientific
background for policy makers using the innovative practice database. An annotated bibliography of the recent English language
literature on Ethnic relations in CEE and the NIS will soon be supplemented by
bibliographies in different languages of the Balkans.
Tools of disseminating information
At the current level of technical development and with the accelerating computerization
throughout the region, the most adequate, the most cost-efficient and democratic way to
publicize information is to use Internet. Therefore the Project aims at publicizing
information on already tested innovative practices gathered by the Case Study Writing
Project mainly on the web page of LGI in the form of a searchable
database. In the database the short description of the
good practice and, if available, the full text of the case study and a reference to the
contact address appears.
Future plans
The Project intends to work out special curriculum on Management of Multicultural
Communities. LGI plans to produce and distribute a textbook on management of
multicultural communities for schools of public administration in seven countries
of Central- and Eastern- Europe including Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Russia,
Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. This textbook is aimed at providing basic information on
both theory and practice of management of multi-ethnic communities and of local policy
formulation of multi-ethnic character. In doing so, the textbook provides an introduction
to the structure and processes of local government with special focus on management of
inter-ethnic relations. Relevant domains of local public policy, as identified in the
process of editing, will be discussed. Also, the Project plans to work out training
material for local public officials managing multicultural communities in the region.
This practical training material will heavily build on innovative practices described in
case studies gathered by the Case Study Writing project. This training material will be
incorporated to the third volume of the Textbook.
In order to maximise the impact of innovative practices identified by contributors, the
Project considers also the possibility to organise a "Skills Exchange Forum" in
the form of an mailing list on the Internet.
This forum will function as a clearing house of information on news and
events relevant to problems related to local governance in multicultural communities. This
forum, besides the collection and dissemination of information on best practices, may
moderate a thematic discussion.
In 1999, the Project will open a new field of activity. In order to promote
participation of the Roma in local governance, LGI will engage in working out a training
for Roma elected leaders to improve their expertise in managing local governance and
capacity of interest representation.
For further information, please send a message to Petra Kovacs kovacsp@osi.hu
