National Human Development Report Estonia: 2007

The Estonian Human Development Report for 2007 comprises four chapters. The first chapter contains an analysis of our position in human development rankings and focuses on one of the components of the Human Development Index, namely education. The second chapter explores the promotion of democracy and civil society in Estonia, while the third chapter examines the role and prospects of non-Estonians as a part of Estonian society. The fourth and last chapter discusses the outlook for Estonia’s economic development and investigates the capability of our economic structure to ensure that Estonian will be able to catch up with the more successful European countries. A mirror is not a good or a bad thing. It shows our progress and points out our problems, allows us to compare ourselves to other nations and suggests new possibilities for development. For readers interested in Estonian life, the report provides information, food for thought and new points of view, while calling into question some generally accepted beliefs. Is Estonian higher education really overextended as many local experts assert; who among Estoni- ans are open to integration and who feel it is downright harmful; why has Estonia started to drop in the UN Human Development Index rankings; what needs to be done if the Estonian economy is to catch up to the best of the EU? These are just some of the issues regarding which this report provides fresh data as well as new approaches.