Estonian e-residency: Benefits, risk and lessons learned

Abstract

Why did Estonia create e-Residency? e-Residency project challenges traditional notions of residency, citizenship, territoriality, and globalization— with potentially profound implications for social theories of the state and citizen networks in the modern era. This paper examines the foundations of the project within the broader context of the Estonian e-state and discusses the main actors and components involved in the creation and functioning of e-Residency. It presents and assessment of the initiative’s benefits and risks to society. Finally, the paper concludes by exploring the broad implications of e-Residency for conventional understandings of the nation state.