Mikko Lagerspetz

The Structure and Resources of NGOs in Estonia

The paper examines the present state of voluntary associations in Estonia—their resources and fields of activity. First, the paper discusses two possible functions of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the postsocialist social change: the opening up of participation channels complementary to those of representative democracy and the support to the state in fulfilling social welfare functions. A view stressing the latter function of the voluntary sector has hitherto dominated Estonian domestic political discussion. The actual capacity of Estonian NGOs is assessed on the basis of previous research and the results of a mail survey (779 responding organizations). The resources of the respondents are smaller than expected. Resources differ greatly between urban and rural associations, and between NGOs representing different fields of activity. The paper concludes with a discussion of the empirical findings and of the need for further research.

Drugs in the postsocialist transitions of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

The article discusses problems related to illicit drugs in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia against the background of the postsocialist transitions of the 1990s. Besides the drug problem, the political and market reforms of the 1990s were accompanied by a surfacing of a variety of social problems, some of which had already been present during the authoritarian socialist regimes. Gaining reliable and comparable statistics on drug-related harm has become very difficult due to changes in treatment system and health statistics. Nevertheless, all available evidence suggests that the use of illicit drugs has grown rapidly in all four countries, it now being close to the Western European level. As a result of international impulses rather than domestic interest, strictly restrictive drug policies have been adopted. Drug problems are aggravated by a marginalisation of a large part of the populations. Accordingly, their reduction may require a more general revision of the four countries’ economic and social policies.

Consolidation as hegemonization: The case of Estonia

Abstract Recent developments in Central and Eastern Europe show that the proper functioning of new political and economic institutions is crucially dependent on their social and cultural environment. Due to this, research has changed its analytical focus from “transition” to “consolidation” of the market economy and representative democracy in the region. A consolidated social order can be defined as one where its central elements have become “the only game in town”. The article treats this process as hegemonization, referring to the theories of Gramsci and Berger and Luckmann. The term “democratic consolidation” itself seems to include a contradiction: How “consolidated” can a political system be in order still to be a democracy? The developments of 1988–1991 in Estonia are analyzed as an ontological and epistemological crisis leading to an abandonment of the old social order, but ending up with no more than vague ideas about the new one. The new political goals which emerged during the 1990s include the prosperity and international security of the Estonian nation. They have been used for delegitimizing the demands of the losers of the transformation — i.e., the Russian-speakers and the economically less well-situated groups. The governments ability to pursue consequent reform policies is based on the fact that not all social cleavages are reflected by institutional politics. As a consequence, people tend to become alienated from it. An activation of non-governmental organizations and Estonias eventual EU membership may change politics towards a more inclusive direction. At the same time, a post-modernist fragmentation of value systems might push the Western societies themselves towards the laissez-faire economic policies now prevailing in Central and Eastern Europe. Modern life is the silent compact of comfortable folk to keep up pretences. (John Buchan, Then Power -House 37)

Cultural Autonomy of National Minorities in Estonia: The Erosion of a Promise

After a debate lasting several years, Estonia enacted a law of non-territorial cultural autonomy for national minorities in 1993, echoing experiences from the country’s previous period of independence. In international discussion, the law was initially cited as a promising way of dealing with minority issues in Central and Eastern Europe. With time, however, its applicability in contemporary Estonia has been questioned; in practice, the law has failed to be implemented. This paper inspects possible reasons for its disuse, and argues that the law could still play a role in Estonia’s minority policies, especially with regard to education. The paper is based on an analysis of legislation, parliamentary records and media.

Social Problems in Estonian Mass Media 1975-1991

The lack of legitimacy of the Soviet rule in Estonia was manifested among other things by a deep disagreement between rulers and the ruled over the central problems of society. As the political situation changed from 1985 on, also the problems were defined in new ways, and partially by new actors. From 1988 on, censorship and state monopoly of the mass media were gradually abolished. A content analysis was made on so-called problem articles in the leading Estoman daily Rahva Haal. The years 1975 to 1991 were divided into four periods, characterized by different political situations. The periods were compared with each other; 394 statements of a social problem were coded according to the problem, to the presented reasons and suggested solutions, and to the source of the statement. The so-called Singing Revolution penod 1988 to 1990 differs dramatically from both the earlier and the later periods Many new problems were addressed then, among them the problems of environment, political institutions, and nationality The causes and solutions were often sought from the political and structural level, which was something totally new. The most usual source of statements became the specialists. From 1990 to 1991, the focus is on the problems of economy and political institutions

Lay Perceptions of Two Modern Artworks

The paper is based on 82 open-ended interviews conducted by as many students during 2006–2013. The respondents were presented with pictures of two artworks, The Persistence of Memory (1931) by Salvador Dali and Which Link Fails First? (1992) by Teemu Maki, a Finnish contemporary artist. They were asked to comment and compare the two pictures and tell which one they liked better. The respondents’ spontaneous comments show different aspects of how an artwork is perceived and evaluated. The interviews were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. As the result of in vivo coding, 40 variables were created for use in a content analysis. The respondents focused on different things when evaluating the two artworks. When commenting Dali’s painting, they paid attention on its affective and sensory characteristics, while Maki’s work was discussed primarily in terms of its message and perceived lack of professional quality. In parallel, a selection of interviews was analysed in order to reveal the temporal sequence of discussing and evaluating different aspects of the paintings. The analysis showed three ways of discussing, which were called naive, scholarly, and deliberative. The temporally structured model of aesthetic appreciation and judgement suggested in 2004 by Leder and his co-workers was used as a heuristic device for an analysis of the shifts of attention that take place when a discourse is created and anchored in perception. Both cognitive psychology and phenomenological sociology emphasize the dependence of perception on context and intention; there is reason to take that theoretical starting point seriously.

Taking Control by Loosing Control?: Patterns of heroin addiction in Estonia

Similarly to other countries in Eastern and Central Europe, Estonia has a relatively short experience of problems related to the use of illicit substances. In the previously “Real Socialist” countries in general, the increase in drug use among youth did not take place until the 1990s. This paper focuses on opiate users in Estonia. Unlike some other drugs, heroin does not have a trendy status, but is strongly rejected by the recreational drug users of the party scene. On the contrary, opiate users tend to be heavily marginalized. Relying on open-ended interviews with opiate users, this paper focuses on relationships between addiction and the cultural context of drug use. The majority of opiate users belong to the Russian-speaking minority, whose relative social status has considerably weakened after the restoration of Estonias independence in 1991, and who have limited opportunities in the educational and labour markets. Young people started to use drugs from a desire to experience action, but the absence of other meaningful roles besides that of a drug user quickly led them towards addiction. However, the addicts were able to develop and maintain new competencies for living with heroin. It can be argued that addiction does not lead to a complete loss of control over their lives, but is rather an escape route from mainstream society. Heroin users do not become addicted to the drug alone but to the whole way of life centred on it.