Youth and Public Policy in Estonia

After regaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Estonia has undergone a profound transition, becoming a democratic nation with an exceptionally liberal economy and its own place within a United Europe. How will this transition continue to affect the country's youth? Estonia's Soviet past and post-Soviet reforms crucially affect the situation of youth as well as policies pertaining to young people. In 2011, young people between the age of 7 and 26 made up 24 percent of the total Estonian population. This percentage is going to drop considerably in the coming decades, because of a constantly low birth rate and further losses through youth emigration. Europeanization also impacts the content and process of youth policies in Estonia. This book reviews youth policy and other policies pertaining to youth in Estonia with an eye to the implications of the country's eventful recent history, significant Russian-speaking minority, and ageing population.