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Mihails Rodins

Lecturer of Comparative Politics University of Latvia Department of Political Science National Identity and Democratic Integration in Latvia, Estonia and the South Ukraine Latvia

Professor Rodins is a lecturer of Comparative Politics at the University of Latvia. His research work has focused on political culture and participation; national identity, ethnic conflicts and national integration; political elite in the Russian Federation; and comparative methodology. Currently he is working on "Political Elites in Russia, Ukraina, Byelorussia and the Baltic States."

Professor Rodins received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Moscow Institute of Sociology. He received a NATO Research Fellowship in 1993 to participate in a project on "Political action in Baltic States during the transition towards democracy."

Selected Publications:

Theories of Political Elites. Riga, University of Latvia, 2003. (In press.)
Introduction to Comparative Politics. Riga, LV. Zvaigzne, 2000. (In Latvian.)
Introduction to Politics. Riga, Zvaigzne ABC, 2000. (In Latvian.)
"National Identity and the Ways for Democratic Integration of Latvian Society." University of Oslo, 1997.

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National Identity and Democratic Integration in Latvia, Estonia and the South Ukraine

This research is oriented towards the analysis of democratic integration and political stability in Latvia, Estonia and the South Ukraine through the achievement of national identity and equal conditions of cultural pluralism. The overall objective is to examine the principal models and controversies of national identity and multiculturalism in the area of Baltic Sea and Black Sea; to make a contribution to the understanding of the modern dilemma in Ukrainian and Baltic studies: are the Ukrainians and Russians in Estonia and Latvia, as well as the Baltic nationalities in Ukraine construct a Diaspora or stranded minorities? The regime changes in the region of the research are examined through the national political elites and mass actor's approaches in a comparative perspective with the political elites in the Russian Federation.

The intended products of the research will be realized by integrating the theoretical and methodological work on democratic integration, identification and minority's rights protection and by using data, which have been collected by the authors. On the basis of the research analyses we intend to formulate policy recommendations aimed at a better understanding of the possibilities for dealing preventively with ethno-political and multicultural conflict situations and for optimizing the effectiveness of the minority regime.

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