In this page:

• Why was the practice needed?
• How was it implemented?
• Outputs
• Key success factors
• Technical information
• Contacts

Why was the practice needed?

The objective of this study was to gather and observe baseline data for the efficient implementation of the Croatian Government’s National Roma Inclusion Strategy 2013-2020.

The strategy aims to systematically assist members of the Roma minority in Croatia improve their living conditions and realise their inclusion in social life and decision-making processes while preserving Roma identity and culture. It also aims to positively change the majority population’s attitude towards the Roma population by promoting inclusion, non-discrimination and desegregation.

The Government Office for Human Rights and the Rights of National Minorities is tasked with monitoring and reporting on the National Roma Inclusion Strategy. In late 2014, it recognised that it would be possible to considerably improve the monitoring of the strategy’s implementation through gathering baselines against which to measure progress.

An external evaluation of the Strategy in 2015 confirmed that despite the considerable attention devoted to monitoring and evaluation in the text of the Strategy and its action plan, there was no overarching system in place to gather data on the implementation of planned measures and strategic objectives. Hence, the evaluation report recommended the collection of baseline data to enable the assessment of Roma integration measures at national, regional, and local levels.

How was it implemented?

The research was carried out in three phases:

• Phase 1 consisted of mapping the size and the geographical location of the Roma population. In this pre-research phase, researchers analysed data from the 2011 census and other secondary sources.

  They also consulted the Roma community in order to identify the Roma population. The consultations involved Roma experts and representatives from Roma councils and associations, who assessed who is Roma, where they live and how many there are in each geographical area. This phase of the research proved to be essential to constructing a representative sample for the quantitative research (phase 3).
   

• Phase 2 involved qualitative research. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 281 representatives of relevant local self-government institutions and key members of the Roma national minority. In addition, the research included seven focus groups with representatives of relevant county-level institutions.

  The goal of this phase of research was to provide Roma stakeholders the opportunity to voice their opinion on the challenges and obstacles facing Roma inclusion and how to overcome them.
   

• In Phase 3 researchers collected quantitative data on the target population through personal interviews. Whereas phase 1 identified the geographical locations inhabited by the Roma population in Croatia, phase 3 asked respondents in these areas whether they self-identified as members of the Roma community.

  Special attention was given to constructing a representative sample of the Roma population for the survey. A two-stage proportionally stratified probability sample was used, controlling for quotas of interviewees by age and sex. The first level of stratification was by county, while the second level was by the location where Roma national minority members lived. The sample was constructed with data on the research population gathered in phase 1, and adequately represents respondents across sex and age groups within the Roma community.

  The sample was taken from 12 Croatian counties at locations where at least 30 Roma national minority members live. The survey was conducted on an exceptionally large sample. Researchers gathered data on 4,758 members of 1550 Roma households, making up 21.2% of the population of Roma national minority members and 37.5% of the households identified in phase 1.

Outputs

• The Roma population mapping exercise, which found that there are 24,524 members of the Roma national minority living in 134 mapped locations across 15 counties in the Republic of Croatia. This is the first precise indication of the size of the Roma population in Croatia ever.
• The findings have been published in a baseline study report. The report presents the results from the survey across the areas of education; employment and inclusion in economic life; healthcare; social welfare; spatial planning; housing and environmental protection; inclusion in social and cultural life; status issues resolution, combating discrimination and help exercising Roma national minority rights.
• Data on the Roma population allow disaggregation by socio-economic status, gender, and age. The results therefore enable an analysis of how these variables intersect.
• The report contains conclusions and recommendations regarding:
  • the collection of data for monitoring the effects of the National Roma Inclusion Strategy;
  • thematic priorities in further implementing Roma inclusion policy;
  • institutional frameworks for the implementation of the National Roma Inclusion Strategy.

Key success factors

• The combination of three methods of identification (external, through census and secondary sources; internal, through Roma experts and key Roma people; self-identification in surveys) led to greatest precision and validity when defining the population of interest.
• The cooperation of FRA researchers in the European Union Minorities and Discrimination Surveys (EU-MIDIS) helped improve the technical quality of the research.
• The large involvement of Roma, not only as respondents, but also as active participants/researchers in the survey implementation. The Roma community has recognised research as an important prerequisite for any concrete action aiming at including, and improving the situation in the Roma community. This contributed to the high response rate of 82%.
• Activities that preceded the Roma community’s involvement in the field research included:
  • Regional discussions on the necessity of this research and possibilities for future applications, including those held in the framework of the National Platform for Roma in 2016/17.
  • Support from the National Commission for the Monitoring of the Implementation of the National Roma Inclusion Strategy and Roma political and civil society representatives at the national, regional and local level (Roma representative in Croatian Parliament, deputy mayors, members of local representative bodies and councils of Roma national minority on the county and municipal level, Roma), as well as other stakeholders (ministries, regional and local self-governments and institutions).
  • Support from the Union of Roma in the Republic of Croatia “Kali Sara” (the largest association of Roma civil society organisations in Croatia).

Technical information

• Data sources covered: Census; Administrative data; Household or individual surveys; Diversity monitoring; Qualitative research.
• Areas of life covered: Employment; Education; Health; Social Protection; Housing and living conditions; Access to good and services; Others: Judiciary, Public administration, Media and Culture.
• Target audience: primarily authorities at all levels (national, regional, local) involved in designing, implementing or monitoring the National Roma Inclusion Strategy, as well as key stakeholders including the academic community and Roma-rights advocates.
• Duration: The pre-survey and survey were conducted in 2017 and the results were published in 2018. The plan is to replicate the same survey with the same methodology five to seven years after the first round and to measure progress.
• Geographical scope: National, regional and local
• Leading institution: The Government Office for Human Rights and Rights of National Minorities (GOHRRNM) as beneficiary of IPA 2012 funds commissioned the Centre
• Other organisations involved/consulted: a range of academic and civil society actors, including from the Roma community are listed in the report’s acknowledgments section.
• Financial & human resources: Budget: Baseline data research: ca. €150,000; Total contract: €679,278.35; Besides research, the contract includes preparation and publication of the report in Croatian, English and Romani Chib, presentation at the national and regional level, regional implementation meetings, development of a set of web based e-monitoring tools, training for staff and Roma activists to participate in the monitoring process, preparation and publication of a handbook on e-monitoring tools; Source of the budget: EU Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) 2012 (90% IPA funds; 10% co-financing GOHRRNM); Staff: 6 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) (excluding stakeholder involvement). In addition, 50 representatives of Roma communities and 20 representatives of civil society organisations were trained and cooperated in the field pre-research.

Contacts

Office for Human Rights and Rights of National Minorities, Government of the Republic of Croatia / Ured za ljudska prava i prava nacionalnih manjina Vlade Republike Hrvatske

Email: ured (at) uljppnm (dot) vlada (dot) hr

Centre for Peace Studies / Centar Za Mirovne Studije

Email: cms (at) cms (dot) hr