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.