What Belgium Can Teach Bosnia: The Uses of Autonomy in 'Divided House' States
Belgium and Bosnia can be understood as 'divided house' states, which contain proportionally similar groups with opposing views regarding whether the states should be more unitary or more decentralized. The Belgian example demonstrates that even where groups disagree on state structure, a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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European Centre for Minority Issues
2003-10-01
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| Series: | Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe |
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| Online Access: | http://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/2003/nr3/Focus3-2003_Strohschein.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818322871533961216 |
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| author | Sherrill Stroschein |
| author_facet | Sherrill Stroschein |
| author_sort | Sherrill Stroschein |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Belgium and Bosnia can be understood as 'divided house' states, which contain proportionally similar groups with opposing views regarding whether the states should be more unitary or more decentralized. The Belgian example demonstrates that even where groups disagree on state structure, a mixture of various forms of group autonomy may facilitate stability and compromise within the state. Belgium addresses this dilemma in two ways: 1) non-territorial autonomous unites in the form of linguistic communities and 2) exclusive competencies for different units within the diverse Belgian state. this article argues that in Bosnia the rights of minorities in different territorial units, as well as refugee returns to areas where they are minorities, might be improved by structures with non-territorial autonomy that are similar to Belgian linguistic communities. Similar to Belgium, these non-territorial units might hold exclusive competencies for educational, linguistic, cultural, and religious matters, and enable more political representation of minority individuals. The author concludes by proposing that analysts should more carefully examine actual examples from states with similarly divided populations in order to advocate working models for Bosnia. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T11:03:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-85e5e59376cd45769564cdc3a242ad5f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1617-5247 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T11:03:41Z |
| publishDate | 2003-10-01 |
| publisher | European Centre for Minority Issues |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe |
| spelling | doaj.art-85e5e59376cd45769564cdc3a242ad5f2022-12-21T23:49:09ZengEuropean Centre for Minority IssuesJournal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe1617-52472003-10-0143132What Belgium Can Teach Bosnia: The Uses of Autonomy in 'Divided House' StatesSherrill StroscheinBelgium and Bosnia can be understood as 'divided house' states, which contain proportionally similar groups with opposing views regarding whether the states should be more unitary or more decentralized. The Belgian example demonstrates that even where groups disagree on state structure, a mixture of various forms of group autonomy may facilitate stability and compromise within the state. Belgium addresses this dilemma in two ways: 1) non-territorial autonomous unites in the form of linguistic communities and 2) exclusive competencies for different units within the diverse Belgian state. this article argues that in Bosnia the rights of minorities in different territorial units, as well as refugee returns to areas where they are minorities, might be improved by structures with non-territorial autonomy that are similar to Belgian linguistic communities. Similar to Belgium, these non-territorial units might hold exclusive competencies for educational, linguistic, cultural, and religious matters, and enable more political representation of minority individuals. The author concludes by proposing that analysts should more carefully examine actual examples from states with similarly divided populations in order to advocate working models for Bosnia.http://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/2003/nr3/Focus3-2003_Strohschein.pdfBelgiumBosniaBosnia-Herzegovinaautonomy arrangementsproposal |
| spellingShingle | Sherrill Stroschein What Belgium Can Teach Bosnia: The Uses of Autonomy in 'Divided House' States Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe Belgium Bosnia Bosnia-Herzegovina autonomy arrangements proposal |
| title | What Belgium Can Teach Bosnia: The Uses of Autonomy in 'Divided House' States |
| title_full | What Belgium Can Teach Bosnia: The Uses of Autonomy in 'Divided House' States |
| title_fullStr | What Belgium Can Teach Bosnia: The Uses of Autonomy in 'Divided House' States |
| title_full_unstemmed | What Belgium Can Teach Bosnia: The Uses of Autonomy in 'Divided House' States |
| title_short | What Belgium Can Teach Bosnia: The Uses of Autonomy in 'Divided House' States |
| title_sort | what belgium can teach bosnia the uses of autonomy in divided house states |
| topic | Belgium Bosnia Bosnia-Herzegovina autonomy arrangements proposal |
| url | http://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/2003/nr3/Focus3-2003_Strohschein.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sherrillstroschein whatbelgiumcanteachbosniatheusesofautonomyindividedhousestates |