This book provides an analysis of the highly politicized field of Roma inclusion and addresses the controversies surrounding the effectiveness of funding initiatives derived from European Cohesion Policy. It confronts the widely held notion that European financial transfers (Structural Funds) are highly suitable instruments to address the systemic causes of poverty and to facilitate changes towards substantive equality for Europe’s largest ethnic minority. Shedding critical light on the Structural Funds programme, it offers an innovative approach to thinking about the value of European funding schemes and efficacy of national Roma inclusion strategies. Multidisciplinary in approach, it draws on rich interview material and literature from fields including policy implementation, new public governance, equality studies, and political representation, Financing Roma Inclusion with European Structural Funds examines the implementation of European funding in Spain and Slovakia, two countries with contrasting policy outputs, and offers a nuanced picture of the way European Cohesion Policy interacts with intricacies of domestic policy-making. It thus sheds light on the key challenges facing Roma inclusion strategies in contemporary Europe and will be of interest for for scholars interested in European studies, equality policy, new public governance and minority studies.

This document intends to support the work of policymakers in implementing National Roma Integration Strategies and in planning and developing policy plans and projects whilst also providing support to public and private organisations working with Roma by: Describing the most frequent types of situations of exclusion experienced by Roma living in the European Union (EU) according to their respective geographical, economic and social contexts; Explaining how common basic principles and priority actions have to be adapted to these different contexts and circumstances; Proposing policy options, including strategies, approaches and priorities that can be followed on the basis of these situations of exclusion; Connecting these policy options with the current EU framework, including legal, policy and financial instruments -- P. [4] of cover.

This book offers an in-depth exploration into the current educational climate and the impact of these policy measures for Roma people in seven Western and Southern European countries and seeks to raise awareness of this forgotten minority and to assess the policies implemented to integrate the Roma people into the education system.

This open access book presents a cross-disciplinary insight and policy analysis into the effects of European legal and political frameworks on the life of ‘Roma migrants’ in Europe. It outlines the creation and implementation of Roma policies at the European level, provides a systematic understanding of identity-based exclusion and explores concrete case studies that reveal how integration and immigration policies work in practice. The book also shows how the Roma example might be employed in tackling the governance implications of our increasingly complex societies and assesses its potential and limitations for integration policies of vulnerable groups such as refugees and other discriminated minorities. As such the book will be of interest to academics, practitioners, policy-makers and a wider academic community working in migration, refugee, poverty and integration issues more broadly.

Today, between 10 and 12 million Roma live in Europe, comprising the continent's largest ethnic minority. However, only 1% participate in higher education. Although the Roma are widely dispersed across Europe, and beyond, they face similar social, political, and economic challenges throughout the continent. A major site of struggle has been access, attendance and achievement in the education sector for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers (GRT). This groundbreaking text explores the Roma in higher education, a topic of great importance since higher education is considered to be a significant pathway out of poverty and to social mobility. Why are participation rates so low? What are the barriers and what are the enablers? This edited collection brings together authors from diverse national and organisational locations including academics, activists and policymakers from Canada, Chile, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, the UK, and the USA. They share and critically analyse contemporary knowledge on research, policies, practices and interventions to promote Roma participation in higher education in a range of European locations. They cover key topics including the representation of Roma communities as living on the margins, but also racism, anti-Gypsyism, Romaphobia, hate crimes and discriminatory practices. The book offers insights into how to fight discrimination and re-distribute higher educational opportunities without objectifying the Roma or representing these rich and diverse communities merely as powerless victims.

The fact that post-socialist European Union (EU) countries are struggling with implementation of the EU's social inclusion policy is well known. But why is that so? Are the problems solely connected with how inclusion policies are enforced, or could it just as likely be the way policies are designed that creates challenges? This book explores experiences with inclusion policy implementation in seven different post-socialist EU countries. It focuses particularly on two groups of people in constant danger of social exclusion: people with Roma background and people with disabilities. So far, researchers have studied these issues primarily through policy analysis, and thus not provided knowledge on what actually happens in local contexts where welfare services are produced. This book sheds light on implementation processes at different levels, both at the policy level and in local welfare production. The picture painted here is one of complex and conflicting considerations in inclusion policy implementation, between historical and cultural heritage from the communist period, and EU inclusion policy based on Western European political principles. This book will appeal to undergraduate and post-graduate students, as well as postdoctoral students in social science, disability studies, educational science, and others. The book will also be useful for researchers and others interested in the development of inclusion policies and EU integration issues. Chapter 2 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Roma Diplomacy is an anthology of papers written or inspired by the DiploFoundation's 2005?2006 Roma Diplomacy project, aimed at facilitating the creation of Roma ?public diplomats? with the ability to bridge the gap between Roma civil society and governments/European Union institutions. The papers in this volume cover a wide range of topics'from a consideration of what the term Roma Diplomacy means to research aimed at promoting awareness of the situation of Roma in different regions and countries. Many of the papers offer recommendations for policymakers, providing a strong starting point for the emergence of a Roma ?think tank, ? one of the long-term goals of the Roma Diplomacy project.

Despite an increasing number of EU and government initiatives in their favor, the situation of Roma in Europe has only worsened. This book explores the many miscalculations, misconceptions, and blunders that have led to this failure. Looking at Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Romania, Rostas shows how policy makers in each country have mishandled already confused EU policy, from failing to define “Roma” to not having a way to evaluate their own progress. Rostas further argues that the alleged successes of these policies were actually the product of poor information and sometimes outright deception. Examining perennial topics among Roma like school segregation and political representation, the author shows how often the so-called success of Roma policies can be fallacious and simply pave the way for further problems. Rostas maintains that when the EU’s Framework for Roma program comes to an end in 2020, there must be a fundamental shift in policy for there to be any real improvement for Roma. Policy makers will have to address Roma issues not only in terms of poverty and social exclusion but also in terms of the particular nature of Romani ethnic identity. This shift requires reconceiving Roma as a “politically insular minority” and rearranging the power dynamics of local government to ensure that when the new era of Roma policy begins Roma themselves will have a voice in its formulation.

Realizing Roma Rights investigates the ongoing stigma and anti-Roma racism and documents a growing, vibrant Roma led political movement engaged in building a more inclusive and just Europe.