Is ethnicity a meaningful category of employment policies for Roma? A comparative case study of Hungary and Spain

Vera Messing, Bálint Ábel Bereményi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

This paper aims to inquire into the potential of active labour market policies (LMP) to reach out to unemployed Roma population in Hungary and in Spain. While in Hungary unemployed Roma people are mainly thought to be reached through mainstream measures, Spain represents a more complex regime with an emphasis on ethnically targeted programmes. Our analysis draws on a wider comparative research project (NEUJOBS) conducted in 2012/2013 and provides an insight into how LMP function locally for unemployed Roma. We conclude that there are two intersecting challenges regarding the success of LMP that aim to influence the employment situation of the Roma: the targeting strategies and the quality and complexity of the programmes’ design. Our empirical data suggest that both aspects need to be given equal attention in order to promote the inclusion of the Roma into the labour market.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1623-1642
Number of pages20
JournalEthnic and Racial Studies
Volume40
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - 9 Aug 2017

Keywords

  • Roma
  • active labour market policies
  • employment
  • ethnic targeting
  • labour market inclusion
  • mainstreaming equality

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