The reproduction of Estonian provinces in the context of transitional administrative reform

The paper examines the reproduction of Estonian provinces within governmental practices when re-establishing the nation-state in the years 1989—2002.The theory of regional institutionalization, introduced by the Finnish geographer Anssi Paasi, is modified as the analytical framework of the study. The qualitative analysis of interview transcripts, legislative acts, official documents and media texts demonstrates the unequal reproduction of provinces on four analytical dimensions — territorial, symbolic, institutional and regional system. The territorial changes and institutional modifications that occurred during the transition period, when the Estonian provinces were symbolically re-established, were less drastic than those that occurred under the Soviet administration but have nevertheless weakened the provinces as an effective layer of government.The study also shows that the postponed administrative reform in 1997—2002 had a dual nature that led to contradictory outcomes.

One outcome was that the postponed reform, as a normative representational practice aimed at making substantial changes in the administrative system, had a predominantly negative and de-productive effect on the provincial reality in Estonia. The other outcome was that the postponed reform, as a practice relying on the extant institutional, physical and cultural realities of the provinces, tended to contribute positively to the reproduction of the provinces. However, the analysis reveals that neither tendency was uniform, the variations depending on the character of provinces and institutional actors.