The Working Group (WG) on Democratic Governance of Multiethnic Communities is a forum about principles of democratic governance in multiethnic communities. We are interested in research and policy discussions about promoting inclusive policies responsive to the needs of ethnically diverse communities, in the design, implementation, and administration of public policies that help to advance the status of minority communities and promote the well-being of the majority and minority groups together, and in effective education and training for public officials to respond to multi-ethnic communities.

Effective democratic governance of multiethnic communities can only follow from an active combination of factors - strong policy leadership from national governments and the EU, creative and well-crafted policies at national and local level to achieve policy goals, meaningful and sustained implementation of policies in the form of good practices, and education and training of public officials to carry out policy and achieve its goals. In this and the following session, our working group looks at several important policy studies suggesting new themes and alliances in initiatives to address ethnic diversity, minority representation, and democracy.

Our first session turns to the practical task of developing and implementing working policies in the local communities in the region.  Here we hope to wrap up discussions about how to take an understanding of the policy process, of education and training and of effective management, and apply it to practical issues faced by ethnic minorities at the street level.