What is it about?
This paper is about determining the evolution of ethnic dynamics in post-communist Romania and applying ethnic fractionalisation and polarisation indices. This study contributes to the theoretical debate on the spatial dynamics of ethnicities, with the aim of (1) determining the evolution of ethnic dynamics in post-communist Romania and (2) applying ethnic fractionalisation and polarisation indices. The study uses a mixed methods approach based on a descriptive statistics analysis and applies the fractionalisation and polarisation indices to Romania’s NUTS-3 (i.e., county) level.
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Why is it important?
The paper is important because its findings reveal that most ethnicities decreased in number in post-communist Romania and further attention needs to be paid to the erosion of ethnic diversity in Romania as this could have a negative impact on economic development, social trust, and democracy.
Perspectives
The findings suggest that the ethnic spatial dynamics in post-communist Romania have shown a decrease in all ethnicities due to migration and low birth rates, with the exception of the Roma ethnicity, for whom the trend is increasing. Additionally, polarisation and fractionalisation indices have different evolutionary manifestations depending on the dynamics of the ethnic groups present in certain geographical areas. Higher values of the two indices are obvious in several Romanian counties where ethnic Hungarians cohabitate with Romanians and other ethnicities. This discovery can inform policy-makers to implement more policies for the further peaceful co-existence of Hungarians, Romanians, and other ethnic groups in Transylvania and other western counties in Romania. Furthermore, as the population growth trend for the Roma ethnicity is upward, Romania has to implement proper policies and build better government infrastructure to counter social inequality against the Roma people. This will help curb potential conflicts between the Roma and other ethnic groups at the local level.
Dr Remus Cretan
west university of Timisoara
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Ethnicities in Post-Communist Romania: Spatial Dynamics, Fractionalisation, and Polarisation at the NUTS-3 Level, Land, May 2023, MDPI AG,
DOI: 10.3390/land12061133.
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