Tolerance Through Law: Self Governance and Group Rights In South Tyrol

The autonomous province of South Tyrol in Northern Italy is generally considered to be one of the most successful examples for the solution of ethnic conflicts. The autonomy arrangement is characterized by detailed legal safeguards and strong guarantees creating a special and unique position within the Italian legal system and in a comparative perspective. This book gives an analysis of the evolution of the legal instruments and institutions of self-government and minority protection through power-sharing as well as of the experience gathered during decades of the implementation of a "working autonomy". It thus provides insights regarding the state and the evolution of this specific case as well as for the general tendencies in the development of territorial autonomy and minority protection.

Joseph Marko, Director of the "Institute for Minority Rights" at the European Academy of Bolzano/Bozen, is Professor of Comparative Public Law and Political Science at the University of Graz (Austria). He is a former Judge of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Member of the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. He published widely on minority protection and constitutional developments in South Eastern Europe.
Francesco Palermo, Director of the "Institute for Studies on Federalism and Regionalism" at the European Academy of Bolzano/Bozen, is Professor of Comparative Public Law at the Faculty of Law at the University of Verona (Italy) and Member of the Advisory Committee of the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. His research and publications mainly focus on comparative federal and regional studies and minority issues.
Jens Woelk, is Senior Researcher at the European Academy of Bolzano/Bozen (Institute for Studies on Federalism and Regionalism) and Lecturer and Researcher for Comparative Constitutional Law at the Law Faculty of the University of Trento (Italy). His research focus is on federalism, regionalism, minority-group issues and constitutional transformation in South-Eastern Europe.