Tips from Italy: A successful model for power-sharing

Elisabeth Alber, a senior researcher at the EURAC-Institute for Studies on Federalism and Regionalism in South Tyrol, presented a case where power-sharing between different linguistic groups had been resolved amicably.


South Tyrol in Italy shares its borders with Austria and Switzerland. It is home to three linguistic groups - Germans, Italians and Ladin. Through a very slow process, legal instruments were built to deal with this diversity. An ethnic-quota system is now in place where public posts and resources are allocated keeping in mind the population strength of each group. Different schools which have different languages of instruction have also been created to cater to the separate needs of each group.