ESTONIA

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THE EUROPEAN AND COMPARATIVE DIMENSION

As Estonian PA is being built from scratch, PA academics and practitioners are eager to examine different PA models in the world. PA students are taught not only to implement policies but also to design the public administration of the country. Therefore, almost every course has a comparative dimension, and many seminars and theses deal with comparative research.

One characteristic of a small country is that it engages relatively few people in its activities. People produce ideas and, if the number of individuals involved is limited, the generation of ideas may also be limited. Therefore, small countries are less likely than large states to develop in-depth theories in different fields because of the shortage of qualified people and necessary resources. In such circumstances, there is a strong temptation to rely on borrowing ideas from larger systems, assuming that ideas analysed and tested in that context will be applicable to the conditions of the small system.

The comparative European public administration dimension has become more important in the PA curricula in recent years. Due to Estonia’s goal of integrating into the European Union, a comparative approach to public administration is crucial for preparing future civil servants. All Estonian universities have recognised a growing demand for new courses related to the European Union. However, faculties in all four universities admit that although they already provide different courses on the EU, they are still unable to meet the expectations of students who have demonstrated their willingness to learn about EU and comparative issues in-depth.

All universities are actively involved in student and faculty exchange with other European universities. Students are encouraged to attend courses abroad to obtain first-hand experience with different PA systems and broaden their horizons, and many students have actually done so. Since academic year 1998/99, Estonian universities have been involved in the Socrates/Erasmus network, which offers opportunities for student exchange. Students are allowed to earn up to twenty-five percent of their credit points from foreign universities approved by the university/department.

EU and comparative studies form an integral part of the PA curricula. EU and comparative matters are usually integrated into a number of courses, thereby promoting an environment where comparative analysis is perceived as a standard part of courses. Therefore, the following table cannot cover all comparative perspectives of courses, but it provides an overview of the European and comparative dimension in PA programmes from academic year 1999/2000.

Table 5: The European and Comparative Dimension in Estonian PA Programmes

(Bachelor’s level, 1 credit point = 16 hours of lectures + 24 hours of independent work)

Institution	Compulsory Courses on the EU	Elective Courses on the EU	Compulsory Comparative Courses	Elective Comparative Courses
University of Tartu	European Union, 2 CP	EU Regional Policies, 1 CP; EU Projects, 1 CP; EU Public Policies, 2 CP; EU Finance, 2 CP; EU Competition Law, 3 CP; EU Social and Economic Policies, 1.5 CP; EU Law, 2 CP; EU Environmental Law, 1 CP;	Comparative Administrative Systems, 3 CP; Management of Public Organisations, 3 CP	Administrative Reforms, 1 CP; Comparative Public Policy, 2 CP; Comparative Social Policy, 3 CP; Civil Service Systems and Personnel Management, 3 CP; Politics and Administration of Small States, 2 CP; Comparative Economic Policy, 2 CP; Comparative Educational Administration, 2 CP; German Society and Politics, 2 CP; French PA, 1 CP; American PA, 1 CP; Public Service in Great Britain, 1 CP
Tallinn Technical University	European Integration, 2.5 CP	Local Government and Regional Policies of the EU, 2.5 CP	No	No
Tallinn University of Educational Sciences	Basics of European Integration, 3 CP	European History, 1 CP; EU Law, 2 CP; Analysis of EU Economics, 2 CP; EU Public Policy, 2 CP; EU Finance, 1.5 CP; Research Seminar on EU Subjects, 2 CP; Special Courses in EU, 1.5 CP	No	Civil Service Systems, 3 CP; Politics and Government in the US, 2 CP; Russian Political System and Society, 2 CP; Politics and Government in the UK, 2 CP; Government and Politics in Scandinavia, 2 CP; German Political System and Society, 2 CP
Estonian Business School	EU Law, 2 CP; European Integration I, 2 CP; European Integration II, 2 CP; European Integration III, 2 CP	No	No	No

1. University of Tartu

A course on the European Union became compulsory in 1997. Since then, the PA programme has regularly introduced new EU-related elective courses with the future goal of developing an EU module. The compulsory EU course is offered every year, whereas different elective courses are offered once every two years. The PA programme also benefits from EU courses offered by other faculties of the University of Tartu, such as law and economics.

In 1993, Tartu University’s faculties of PA, political science, economics and law became involved in Eurofaculty, which was introduced in all three Baltic states. Several new EU courses have been developed with the support of Eurofaculty since that time. In 1998, the College of Europe was founded on the basis of Eurofaculty’s initiatives. The College of Europe draws together the EU competence of different faculties, thus avoiding duplicating EU courses to raise the professional level of EU courses and research. It is too early to draw broader generalisations about the college, since it offered its first classes in 1999 and will introduce an entire EU programme only in 2000. However, it is an important development, as this will allow PA students to study a wider variety of EU courses in the future.

The PA programme in Tartu has solid potential to develop comparative PA courses as all full faculty members have obtained their academic degrees in foreign countries. Different educational and practical experiences will allow the faculty to introduce different perspectives on the field and to compare these perspectives to Estonian PA.

In 1998, the Tartu PA programme was invited to participate in the EMPA/PAN-EUROPA network. This enables faculty members and master’s students to spend one to two semesters in any of the partner universities: Leuven, Liverpool, Vaasa, Speyer, SciencesPo in Paris and the Budapest University of Economic Sciences. Bachelor’s students are welcome to apply for the Socrates/Erasmus exchange programmes with the universities of Helsinki and Maastricht.

2. Tallinn Technical University

A compulsory course on European Integration was included in the PA curriculum at the beginning and is offered annually. Additional EU courses will belong to the elective curriculum. EU courses are a high priority in the development of Tallinn Technical University’s PA programme. New EU courses are regularly developed with the goal of introducing at least one new EU course each year. In academic year 1999/2000, the following courses are being prepared: Estonia and the EU, Members and Cultures of the EU, Getting Information on the EU, EU Projects, EU Law, EU Institutions and Administration, the History of European Ideas, and Local Government and Regional Policies of the EU. In the future, a few of the current elective courses are likely to be added to the compulsory PA curriculum.

3. Tallinn University of Educational Sciences

The Basics of European Integration is a compulsory course in the PA curriculum. In addition, a number of EU and comparative classes are offered in the block of elective courses. In 1997, the Tallinn University of Educational Sciences introduced a module in EU studies, consisting of fifteen credit points, which can be taken as a minor field of study. The current goal is to expand this programme to thirty credit points. The same EU module is also offered to practising civil servants.

4. Estonian Business School

Four EU courses belong to the compulsory PA curriculum, but elective EU and comparative courses are not offered. The Estonian Business School has entered into student and researcher exchange programs with universities in different European countries.

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