Welcome
Welcome to the Institute for Federalism Research &. Consulting
The Parvus Archive was established in 1983. It is named after Alexander Helphand, who supported social-revolutionary and federative movements worldwide under the pseudonym Parvus at the beginning of the 20th century.
The archive's collection includes:
a) Publications and documents on the history of federative ideas and developments in the 19th and 20th centuries.
b) Documents relating to Perestroika, samizdat literature, government drafts, constitutional concepts, and further documents concerning the transformation in the successor states of the Soviet Union.
c) Literature and documents on non-European federalism.
The institute's staff are active in both scientific projects and consultancy work on federalism. The consultancy work arose from collaboration with the Polish Solidarność. During Perestroika, the Institute participated in drafting the Russian Constitution, which bindingly anchored the federal structure and local self-government independent of state power organs.
The Russian Federation guarantees the protection of indigenous peoples. However, ILO Convention 169 was not enforceable. The core element of the convention went too far even for progressive lawyers: the right of a minority to say no. Due to constitutional amendments, the indigenous population today stands largely defenceless against other interest groups. The attempt to preserve their traditional way of life often also means the protection of nature. This is completely overlooked.
The multicultural nature of the Russian Federation raises the further question of the extent to which federal elements are also anchored in non-European cultures. The answer is yes. However, these were sometimes altered beyond recognition. Nevertheless, these common roots are important for a future reorientation. At the same time, these approaches enrich our understanding of federalism by embracing diversity.
In 1994, we started working on projects in schools in the European Community, India and, temporarily, Russia and China. Since 2007, we have offered workshops on federalism.
The Parvus Archive currently finances scientific projects from its own funds. Consulting activities and implementation projects are carried out on a fee-based or third-party funded basis.