This event, The challenges and pitfalls of Roma inclusion policies, was the first in a planned series of roundtable discussions to promote critical approaches to analyze the situation of Roma. Roma have been an object of academic and policy inquiry for centuries; however, until recently, due to structural discrimination, few Romani people have been allowed to shape the discourses on themselves. The establishment of the Romani Studies Program at CEU represents a turning point in this academic environment by applying a broader definition of scholarship and knowledge production and involving activist-scholars.

In the framework of the discussion series, past and present fellows of CEU’s Romani Studies Program will present and discuss their pioneering work on the oppression, resistance and emancipation of Romani people. These discussions propose inquiries into the forms of racialization of Roma and the mechanisms and impact of racism and structural discrimination on Roma and Romani identity.

Full details of the discussion series can be viewed on the Romani Studies Programme website.

Financing Roma Inclusion with European Structural Funds: Why Good Intentions Fail

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. 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, 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 scholars interested in European studies, equality policy, new public governance and minority studies. The book can be purchased from the publishers website.